You are sitting on a picnic bench in a crowded area, your eyes scanning the crowd in furtive flicks. You hunch your shoulders, trying to make yourself invisible, but you know it’s only a matter of time. They’re coming.
“Hey!” The sudden, enthusiastic exclamation startles you, and you turn around quickly. Recognizing the owner of the voice, your body relaxes, and a genuine smile flashes across your face.
“Hey, yourself!” You greet your best friend, Joshua, with a hug as he comes up to you. You both sit down together on the picnic bench.
“So, how are you?” Joshua asks, concern shadowing his eyes as he looks at your face. “You sounded pretty frantic on the phone when you asked me to meet you. What’s up?”
“Yeah, I know.” You push air out of your lungs, trying to dispel the weight that seems to be pushing heavily on your chest. There’s a brief moment of hesitation. You’re at the end of your road, and these are your last few minutes with your best friend. You don’t want this companionable moment to end.
“Look, Joshua, you have been my best friend for years.” He nods in agreement. “That’s why I feel that I need to tell you this, before you find out from anyone else. I… well, I’ve done some pretty terrible things. I’ve messed up big time. And now my past is catching up with me.”
Joshua studies your eyes for a moment before taking your hands in his own big, sturdy ones. You feel your shoulders relax into a sob, and then the tears start flowing.
“You’ll be okay,” he tells you as he wraps an arm around your shoulders. “I still love you. You’ll be okay.”
“I know,” you say, gulping down another sob, “You’re the only person who’s stuck by me. But they’re coming for me, now. They’ll be here any minute to take me away.” As you say that, you hear a small commotion. You look up to see some men in black making their way through the crowd towards you.
“Here they are,” you say. Joshua looks up towards the men, and then back at you.
“I want you to live your life,” he says suddenly in a rushed, pointed voice.
“What?”
“I want you to go and live your life fully,” he insists, squeezing your hands in his. “I want you to know peace, and live a full and happy life. Become a person that you and I can be proud of. I love you.” He releases your hand and stands up.
“What are you doing?” You stand up too, your eyes darting to the men and back at your friend. You try to grab at Joshua’s arm as he starts moving forward, but he just shakes your hand away.
“I’m here!” he shouts to the men. “I’m the one you want! Take me!” The men in black quickly surround him, grab him, restrain him, and start dragging him away.
“No! You can’t-” You run forward, trying to pull the men back, but they just push you away. Joshua’s clear, steady eyes meet your own as they start pulling him away.
“Remember what I told you,” he says. Then, in a matter of minutes, he is gone.
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This story was placed on my heart today when I was trying to understand God’s mercy. They say Christ died for each of us individually… and I was really trying to get across what that would feel like if Christ did come down to die for just one person, and no one else.
It’s such a beautiful and amazing thing, isn’t it? =)
“That day, she was amazed to discover that when he was saying “As you wish”, what he meant was “I love you”. And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back.” -The Princess Bride
