Pearls and Presence, Chapter Nine- New Community

I can never go back. I can only go forward. Will my future be with a new community, those who are broken as I have been, the ones who share in my shame and redemption? Everything will be different now. There is no turning back from what has been done, and I cannot change the past.

I take one step forward, then another, and another, until I have crossed the threshold and am outside the walls of my empire. Both feet are on the sand now. It is cool and soft and gives way ever so slightly beneath my feet.

The walls of my empire have begun to crumble behind me, as the waves of the ocean have finally reached it. The sandy foundation gives way easily under the weight of the crashing sea, and my empire is destroyed beyond recognition.

I watch a boat coming closer and closer, and I hear the voices of a community. They are getting more audible over the roar of the ocean as they come near.

I close my eyes and breathe. I inhale the Divine, exhale my fear.

With whom do I belong?

~*~

Mara was busy cooking breakfast when He knocked at her door. She knew it was Him before she even opened it. He stood there with a benevolent smile on His royal face, His black and unruly hair full of wild, untamed dignity.

The wait was over. It was time to let go of the past.

He entered the room without a word and looked past her out the window, gazing out towards the sea. He was looking at something. She turned and looked with Him. There was a boat on the horizon, sailing in towards the shore. It carried people who had come to inhabit her island, with plans to build a new community.

They were headed towards the beach even now.

And Mara knew that if she didn’t close the door or run away, she would have to face them. And then it would be time to share her story.

The Man interjected into her thoughts. “Lean on me. Let go of everything else. I am sufficient, I will be enough. Have faith, beloved. It is time now, you are ready for this.” He read her mind and spoke straight into her soul.

Something like panic settled into her body. “Can’t you just tell me if they will love me, if I can belong with them after all I have been through? I can’t meet them unless I know what is going to happen. I still have so many questions, so many doubts...”

She searched without avail for the words to express the feelings of uncertainty inside.

 “Can’t you tell me what they will say when they learn about my story?” Her hands were pressed together and she rubbed them in worry, her gaze searching for a safe place to land.

She stared down at His sandaled feet, remembering how her hair had covered them while she cried. She wanted to go there again now for comfort.

He interjected with words that brought order to her conflict: “My daughter, I love you. And the peace of God will rest on you, and you will go forward into My Kingdom with grace and beauty, accomplishing more than you ever dared to imagine. This is my Spirit working in you.”

His words were poetic truth, healing balm for her fears.

And still Mara doubted. “But I need them to love me, to accept me, to care about me. I want them to value my story as You do.” Her voice cracked with emotion and she was going to cry. “I desire their validation, their approval, their friendship. I don’t know what to do if I lose that again. I don’t know who I am without it. Who am I if they don’t understand me? I know I am too desperate, Jesus. Forgive my doubt, I am afraid.”

He reached out to the pearl necklace which was around her throat, to the name written upon it, and lifted it slightly. “Lean on me, Tirzah. Let go of everything else. I will be enough. Have faith, beloved. I am enough for you. My love is sufficient. My strength is made perfect when yours comes to an end.” He touched the pearls one by one, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger, until He found the letters of her new name.

“Tirzah, my joy and delight, I want you to trust Me.

It’s time to let go of the past.”

“What if they turn me away? What if they accuse me? What if they say nothing at all? God, what if they hurt me.” She closed her eyes and swayed slightly.

She felt his steadying hand on her arm. “Lean on me. Let go of everything else. I am your Abundance. Have faith, beloved. Let go of the past. You have a new name now. Let go.” His arm slid down her shoulder, stopping to squeeze her hand and hold it for just a moment, and then He released it.

You have a new name now. Let go. These words were a powerful force that influenced her entire being.

Mara opened her eyess to speak to Him again, to plead with Him for more answers.

But He was gone.

And where He had stood, there lay white roses from her vineyard, fashioned into a crown and lying on the ground. She walked over, pick it up, and look around. The Man was not in sight. But as she looked at this crown of roses and turned it over and over in her hands, she still heard His last words.

Let go.

The boat was getting closer now, she could hear the voices on the wind. She would have to face them, or shut the door and hide- or run. With a deep sigh, she exhaled fear and inhaled Peace. Then she raise the crown and pressed it to her heart, press it to her lips, and then raised it high and placed it majestically on her head.

Will they accept me for worshiping idols and listening to the Accuser?

          She took one step towards the door.

Will they know the extent of my failings? Will I know the extent of theirs? Can I trust their love for me? Can they trust mine?

For years and years she had known what needed to be done, and now it grew from a realization to an action, and her resolve moved from a place of desire to a place of confidence. She had given up her idols, and she had found the words. She had written her story, she had begun to heal through writing. Now she would take the first step towards letting go of the past.

She pushed open door and walked out into the sunlight.

There is no security here, no safety, no certainty in this moment. I stand in the tension of not knowing.

Her bare feet were moving steadily down the road. She had forgotten shoes.

But I have my King, and my pearls, and my roses. I have lost my idols, and that leaves empty room in my heart for true and lasting community. Perhaps they can love me, If I let them.

She was nearly at the beach, and could hear the laughter and chatter of many people.

As she came closer to the water, a sudden gust of salty air blew her gold-spun brown hair back off her shoulders. With brazen freedom her white dress billowed out, molding to her legs in front and trying to take flight behind her.  She put her hand to her temple to hold down her white crown of roses and pressed her other hand to her heart. He eyes closed and she paused to honor the current of the air. 

She was the perfect picture of redemption.

And in those final moments she heard Him in her thoughts again, whispering that maybe, just maybe, together with this new community she would be free to create an Empire that lasts for all eternity until His Kingdom comes in all its complete fullness.

She spoke out loud in response, just before she started down the small trail to the water. The words were inspired by His Presence:

“The peace of God will rest on me, and I will go forward into Your Kingdom with grace and beauty, accomplishing more than I ever dared to imagine. This is Your Spirit working in me.”

The ocean roared in approval. The wind sighed in relief. She reached up and tenderly touched the pearls around her neck.

“Thank you for redeeming my sins and making me beautiful again.” She whispered with delight.

“I am Your beloved and You are mine. I am present with you always. I love you best through My people, so allow yourself to be loved in community,” this was the Divine instruction.

The girl walked with her head held high towards the travelers, a smile on her face and her arms opening wide to receive them. A story was in her heart and a song was in her soul.

She was ready to be loved again.

She was ready for new community.

And she spoke the brave words of power that would change her life forever:

“Hello! My name is Tirzah…”

~*~

And she found the words to write the final page of her story:

We are a community that has been broken and redeemed by the words and life of our King. We are each at a different place in the journey, but we all have a common hope, that one day the Kingdom of God would be revealed through the humility and grace of our Lord and worked out in the entire world for all of humanity. If you are looking for a perfect family, keep looking. But if you are looking for a place where you are given grace and permission to be completely your true and messy self, ask tons of questions and grow very slowly, Empire Island would be a great place to begin. I love this new community so much because of all the ways they make me feel safe to belong just as I am, with my shameful past, present progress and prodigal story included ♥

God loves us best through His people. Allow Him to love you this way, here and now, in a community of children that are living both broken and redeemed.

Together we will build a new community that creates an Empire of love which will last for all eternity until the Kingdom comes. And we will worship our Beloved, and He will be our King.

May all beings be peaceful and happy.

Amen and Amen.

-Tirzah

~*~

The End!

www.persuasiveabundance.com

To go back to the beginning of this story, click here.

To read my personal confession of redeeming love, click here.

With deepest gratitude for all my readers, 

~Rebecca

Pearls and Presence, Chapter Eight- Refinement

 I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt.

-Hosea 2:15

~*~

The sound of the ocean could now reach the confines of the valley, and the waves became the only noise as the two picturesque figures stood poised in divine stillness together. 

The girl watched with fascination as the tear of compassion glided slowly down his dark skin. It glittered with a rainbow of white colors in the faint light, looking exactly like a tiny pearl. She lifted her hands from the dusty ground as she remained keeling before him, and He himself knelt down directly before her. Face inches before her own, He reached out to wipe her own tears with His thumb.

As His hand brushed her cheek, she felt His touch communicate safety and belonging.

He cupped her face and smiled to reassure her. Something stirred within her soul. He reached down to take both her hands, ready to lift her to her feet. Mara’s eyes grew large with expectation when He held out his hand for hers. She placed hers in his ever so gently, with both timidity and certainty, and at His touch her entire body felt alive with tranquil joy. The emotion was so unexpected, yet she didn’t feel surprised at anything she felt in His presence now. 

His silence seemed to explain what human words could not.  Her only sense of understanding seemed to come from looking steadily into His eyes, so she remained transfixed in that position as they both stood up together.

Gradually Mara became aware of her breath.

It was slow and steady, and it matched His own. She deeply inhaled peace and exhaled fear, again and again. Mara started to speak, to ask Him what she should do now, but He covered her mouth with his hand for a moment and He looked at her. He was transferring divine power from His eyes to her own.

In His expression she could see the vast ocean and the stars and the universe, and His eyes were so kind and knowing that she forgot what she wanted to ask. Then He took His hand away from her mouth and smiled.

And when He spoke there was a place inside of her that had always known what this wild and regal Man in white was about to say for her. She had known for her entire lifetime, although she had never lived it.

“Beloved. I have redeemed you. Every part of your story can be used for my Kingdom. Every feeling can be directed towards good, if you walk close with me. We are going to journey together out of this Valley of Achor up into the light. Know that I am with you. I can return all that has been lost.”

Mara’s throat constricted with emotion. “I believe You. I trust You. I love You.”

In one fluid and completely natural motion, Mara stretched out her arms to Him in an embrace. He quickly closed the gap between them, and there was no distance between their souls. Her heart thrilled with joy as she drew her arms tightly around His neck and lay her head on His shoulder.

This was a treasure even greater than the pearl of great price.

For an eternal moment He was holding her in His arms, and she was holding Him. And Mara never wanted to let go, because it felt like the Kingdom had finally come. She was His princess and everything was beautiful and good and right.

This is what belonging felt like, to be in perfect alignment with her Redeemer.

Deliverance. Redemption. Freedom. Peace.

And then the moment was over, and the space between them widened. Mara lowered her gaze down to His feet, and she heard Him speaking truth again.

In her mind she thought, “I wish He would take me into His Kingdom this very moment.” But she dared not ask such a great request out loud in His royal presence.

But the Man looked at her lowered gaze and read her very thoughts. “It is not time, not yet. First I will give you a new name, and then you can go out to share your story.”

Mara was filled with sudden dread. “I will fail without You.” She clasped her hands tightly in front of her to hide their sudden trembling. “I will fail again. I can’t do this without You. I’m scared.”

“I will never leave you. Walk with me. I am here, I am with you always. You are a warrior princess for my Kingdom. Know your worth and live it.” He paused and smiled knowingly as if at some delightful confidence. “Mara, it’s time to use your writing for good. You are almost ready to share your gift.” He extended His hand and gestured for her to take it.

Mara grabbed onto his hand like it was a lifeline and nodded, blinking back grateful tears of relief. “I will. Oh, thank you. Thank you.”

And lifting her chin, smiling through her tears, she allowed the Man to lead her slowly up the stairs and out into the sunlight. She had to blink and squint her eyes against the brightness of the morning light. She shielded her face for a moment until she adjusted. Then together they walked steadily across the well-worn trail that led up to the door of her home.

He stopped and smiled gently. “I am the Truth. I know the Way. I want you to go inside your dwelling place and write your story, the one you need to tell the world. I will be your strength and your inspiration now. Use your writing for good, my child. It is the gift I have given you.” He let go of her hand.

“Write my story...” Mara hesitated. She stood there with one hand on the door, one foot on the path, and looked out at the vast landscape. There were miles and miles of ocean, sandy beach, and grassy hillsides.

And somewhere out there beyond the horizon were real people that she was afraid to know. Living beings in community, ones who were broken and redeemed just as she was, who could offer real love and companionship because they were not made of stone.

“If I write my story and share it, I will become vulnerable. The ones who read it are real people that could love me or hurt me. They could welcome my story or ignore it, affirm it or deny it, accept my story or judge my words. I am afraid to write, my Lord. I am afraid.” The vulnerability of this confession left her feeling exposed. Her lip trembled, so she bit it to keep from losing her composure.

“Ah my child, I am so proud of you. I want you to see yourself as I see you now.” He pressed His hand to His heart and smiled. “This day you have been baptized at my feet with your hair and your tears, and so this is the day you become Mine. The opinion that matters is Mine, and I say that you are a delight.”

His voice grew louder as if making a pronouncement to a crowd. “And now you will no longer be called Mara, which means bitter. You will now be called Tirzah, because you are My joy and delight.”

“Oh. Oh.” Mara felt the new name wash over her with grace and dignity. She didn’t have the words to thank Him.

“You belong to me now, and I am so proud of you. Keep writing, I am with You. This is going to be so good, your story is beautiful. Go now. Do the hard work of refinement. Trust me.” He gestured to her upstairs window.

Just as she turned towards the door and began to open it, she gave a sudden start as she remembered something important. “Oh, the pearls! We have to go back.” She was filled with remorse at the loss.

She left the door ajar and stepped back out into the path. But He gently squeezed her arm and stopped her. Without a word He pulled the string of pearls from His pocket and pressed it into her palm, the word Tirzah facing upwards, written in proud bold letters.

Mara looked down at it, and then slowly back up at Him, and He waited patiently.

 He nodded again towards the door.

So lifting her head high, she stepped gracefully forward with an air of royalty to push against the door and throw it wide open. The sea breeze rushed in, and the ocean applauded her courage with a roar. She faced Him for one last look.

Stepping forward He lifted the necklace high and placed it gently around her neck. And He was smiling at her with eyes full of pride and adoration at the dramatic effect the pearls had on her graceful appearance.

“Thank you.”

He nooded and she closed the door with a thud of finality. Mara turned and looked around at the quiet house.  Her heart pounded with the anticipation of the challenge before her. 

Yet, she was encouraged by the look she had seen in His eyes when He had given her a new name.  She had seen tenderness there when He said it, as if His very soul had spoken to her.  He had been visibly affected by her tears, as though they were His very own.  She had been transfixed by this Man, and that moment would remain with her forever.

She reached up to touch the pearls hanging around her neck.

She determined that she would only leave one single blank page after she was done writing. This blank page would be the chapter of her reconciliation to community, the final piece of her journey which was yet untold. Nothing else could remain unwritten, or her story would die without ever being told. 

Mara willed her heart to slow down as she walked up the stairs.  Each step was a victory. She stilled her breathing and began to calm her thoughts.

Her heart was made up.  With renewed strength, Mara walked across the upper room to the desk, where she had sat so many times before trying to find the right words.  She lowered herself onto the chair, looked for a moment out the window, then poised her pen to write. 

~*~

Months and months went by.

The waiting was much harder than she expected. The healing was slow.

Mara finished writing her story. Yet she knew that it was not complete, that there was something more still to come. The final blank page remained untouched.

Even as she healed slowly through writing, she realized that forgiveness and restoration were a long process and not a sudden arrival. The hard work of moving forward and letting go of the past, this was her refinement and her great test of patience.

So much time was needed to heal her past hurts. So much time.

Often, Mara paused in her chores and remembered the eyes of the beautiful, dignified Man who had given her a new name. 

“My Lord, what do I do now that my story has been written?” Her voice trembled with fear at this question, and she spoke it out loud into the wind. “How do I share it? Who do I tell? Where should I go?”

“Tirzah, I am the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I will bless the work of your hands and honor you at just the right time. Have patience, beloved. Trust the refinement process.” She heard the words in her soul, because He dwelt with her there.

“Do I set sail away from this place? Or do I stay and wait? How do I share my story?” She was dying to know, to alleviate the great fear that she still carried with her, the fear of the unknown.

“No.”

“No?? I don’t understand.”

“No. Trust Me. Walk with Me. Wait with Me. Wait, Tirzah. Cease striving. Sit in your healing, dwell in it, observe your refinement and wait. The time will come. Trust.”

She sighed. She just wanted to know how it would all end. Would she ever become something more than an isolated inhabitant alone on this island? She was still so scared to leave her solitude. Part of her wanted to hold onto it forever.

“I don’t know what to do.” Her voice was carried away on the wind, out over the hills towards the sea.

~*~

Join me next time for the final chapter! 

www.persuasiveabundance.com

To go back to the beginning of this story, click here.

To read my personal confession of redeeming love, click here.

With deepest gratitude for all my readers, 

~Rebecca

Pearls and Presence, Chapter Seven- Bitter

Once upon a starry and lonely night, when the Accuser was whispering promises into my ear, I gave him the key to the door of this empire just as I had given him the pearl. And that very night he locked it and hid away the key from me. He is so close to me now, and I see it there hanging from a string around his neck as he leans over me. And there in the tallest room of the tallest tower of my empire I am finally overcome by the Enemy. I get what I deserve. All the things I built walls up against to keep out, they are all visited upon me in full force at that moment. All the things I feared, they all came true. My idols are gone, and my Accuser was right. And this is the dark night of the soul, and I cannot escape my mistakes or undo my choices.

Who can save me?

~*~

Maras’ eyes were closed, and the craving she felt was all-consuming as she bowed low before her idols. It had been so long since she had worshiped here. All the pent-up energy came exuding from her being. Her hope was electric with anticipation.

“This is the moment you have been dreaming of, Mara, when you will get what you have always wanted.” Achor knew exactly what she needed to hear. His knowledge came from the many years of walking with her, listening to her talk and studying her habits and behaviors and choices. He knew her better than she knew herself.

“You will finally have companions on the island. You have given them your complete trust now, it is finished!” The power of his influence over Mara in this moment came from the many years of her choosing his companionship, allowing herself to walk with him, listening to him talk, and looking frequently into his accusing eyes for answers.

She was so convinced of her happiness that she hardly notice when Achor moved close to her and crouched down right next to her prostrated figure. He pressed his hand lightly on her back and whispered, “Give the necklace to me and you will have what you deserve. I know what to do next.” 

She wanted so badly to believe that his words were good, because his was the only voice she ever heard on the lonely island. So Mara lifted up her right arm, hands clasped around the pearl necklace, extended it towards him, and it fell through her open fingers into his hands.

The moment it happened she felt all the power go out from within her. That very second she realized she had totally destroyed her illusions.

She finally saw that her idols were false, and that they were made of nothing more than masks and fears and lies.

She wanted to take it back.

But it was too late.

What was done could not be undone.

He stood up with a victorious laugh, and then stepped between Mara and her idols. She felt his cold shadow fall over her, and regret manifested in her body. Mara looked up and saw that he was clutching the pearl necklace tightly and mocking her with accusing eyes- his voice was no longer encouraging, but full of selfish delight.

“I have waited years for this moment. I have been searching for the pearl of great price among your roses day after day after day. And now you just hand it to me of your own free will!”

He laughed and looked closely at her. Then he spoke with great clarity- “Always remember what you have done. You chose this by your own doing, Mara. This is your fault and you should be so ashamed.” That word burned like fire in her soul. “You have given me authority over your greatest treasure. Me, your lifelong Adversary and Accuser. And so now you will get what you truly deserve, what you have worked for all these years without even realizing it”.

And with one fell swoop he turned and smashed all the beautiful idols, the ones that represented the things she desired to love. They shattered into a million broken pieces on the floor around her. And even though she knew they were false, made of insecurity, instability and deception, even still Mara cried out in despair, reaching forward helplessly to stop the destruction.

The remnants of her idols were scattered everywhere, impossible to repair.

She had loved them so deeply that she would now mourn them like a dead brother. The tears began instantly, threatening to choke her with sorrow.

Achor turned back to watch her reaction and towered over her prostrate figure with haughty laughter.

“You are mine now. There is nothing left for you. This is what you deserve. This is what you asked for. This is your fault. And now you are going to pay the price for what you have done.” There was an almost drunken malice emanating from Achor as he towered over Mara, who was cowering on the ground.

In an instant of broken repentance she thought of the sea, and she knew she needed to escape the Valley and seek refuge by the ocean. But the darkness was so vast and the valley walls were so high and the way was blocked.

Achor was holding hostage her pearl of great price, clutching it in his tight fist, laughing at her. She put her head in her hands and grieved- I surrendered my gift and now I cannot take it back, I gave it carelessly away without even the slightest regard for its true value.

And in a flash she remembered the wild and regal Man in white, the one from her dream. She knew instinctively that she must go to Him. Somehow she knew this to be a fact; it was a call from deep inside her soul.

It was the first absolute truth she had believed in many years.

With a new hope Mara tried to get up from the floor, but Achor knocked her back. He was powerful now, strong and aggressive and in full control. He knew her every weakness and turned upon each one of them.

“It is too late, your mistake is permanent.” Achor declared triumphantly.

And he was right, it was too late for her. Now, by her own doing, she was completely at the mercy of her enemy’s authority. Nothing was left of the audacious gentleman he had been- he now stood before her revealed as his truest self, the Prince of Darkness. The one she had foolishly trusted with her greatest gift.

 “What has been set in motion cannot be undone. You have destroyed your future here. This is all your fault. This is why your name will always be Mara- bitter. These idols could never love you, and now all false hope is destroyed. No more pretense- yours forever will be a cup of bitterness.”

And as she cowered beneath the cutting accusations, Achor descended upon her with all the force of knowledge and power. He forcefully stripped Mara of all the things she held dear. He took away her dignity, her identity, her ambitions, her pride, her desires, her hopes, her dreams, her self-worth. All were lost.

She was weeping with regret and grief, and he laughed at her tears and slapped them. Her repentance only fueled his violence. He unleased the full extent of the consequences upon her with delighted malice. He declared all the unspoken truths about her failures. He used the power of shame to ravage her entire being.

Mara helplessly wept at the painful revelations that came to her awareness. Salt and water fell and her heart and mind were invaded with unbearable grief. Her entire self was violated and broken.

When it was over, Achor turned away in disgust at her absolute helplessness. His fury was spent, all truth had been told, and now his breathing slowed. He looked once more at her with haughty disdain and spoke his final farewell. His voice had returned to normal.

“I am leaving you now, Mara.” It was said with unfeeling finality. “This destruction will last a lifetime; my presence is no longer necessary. The consequences of your choices will be enough to carry on my work here for many years to come. You carry bitterness within you now. That bitterness will grow and then in due time it will give birth to anger. And anger will grow into hate, which will become your next and final companion.”

Achor smiled coyly, giving one final declaration of truth- “In time you will come to trust hatred just as you have trusted me. As always, you carelessly give trust to those who do not earn it. Your honesty and transparency have always been your greatest weakness. This is why you will need anger to survive from now on.” His tone had returned to normal and his eyes gleamed with deep satisfaction.

And he turned on his heel, throwing the pearls into the wreckage as if they were worthless trash. And then he walked away from her without so much as a backward glance.

Mara lay there in abject humiliation, broken on the floor, vulnerable and exposed, covered with shame and tears.

She had given deep and intimate trust away and it had been used against her. This was to be her eternal shame.

And for days and days she cried, wandering aimlessly among the broken idols there in the Valley of Achor. She could not sleep, eat, be happy or feel joy. She did not know where to go or what to do. Her only emotions were doubt, fear, worry and regret. Anxiety had replaced accusation, and her mind replayed her mistakes over and over and over again, until she wanted to die.

This was the dark night of the soul.

Where hopes and dreams and love once rested in Mara’s heart, now there was only an empty hole that would slowly fill to overflowing with bitterness and anger as time passed.

Her mind endured ravenous, endless warfare. There was a permanent seed of hatred within her being. She could not live with herself now.

But as she lay herself down among the broken idols, determined for her suffering to be over and so deciding to lie down in her mistakes and never get up from them again, the wind changed course.

The same breeze that met Mara on the shore of the sea now made its way over the land towards where she lay in the depths below. For the first time, the sea breeze wafted down into the valley, bringing the smell of peppermint and lavender.

Mara opened her weary, tear filled eyes and looked up.

She could hear a small bright sound, like tiny wind-chimes. The gentle wind brought with it the most sea spray Mara had even seen. It came in over the high walls of the Valley in great drafts, gathering and billowing into a great mist of sparkling light. It gently floated downward towards her. She watched with wonder as it settled all over and around her. The mist was glowing and covering her entire being, and she could feel that it brought healing with it.

As she breathed it in, she felt something tight and hard beginning to uncoil inside of her.

Mara closed her eyes and cried again, but the tears were different now, free and healing. As the mist settled over her, Mara lost track of time, drifted off and and slept a peaceful and dreamless sleep for the first time in many days. Instead of frightening dreams, tranquil visions of hope filled the empty spaces within her as she rested.

When she awoke, the mist was gone and she had been clothed in a billowing white dress, unlike anything she had ever seen. She was radiant and beautiful, fully restored and completely healed. She could feel that her power and divinity had returned to her.

And a Man was there kneeling close beside her, leaning over her prostrate figure, smiling lovingly into her face. His face was beautiful and kind and benevolent. He was also dressed in shining white, and He touched her forehead and He called her beloved.

He was wild and majestic and his dark hair was untamed.

“My Redeemer,” Mara whispered in shock and awe.

Mara forgot all sense of fear when she looked up into His eyes. When He touched her forehead she noticed her reflection in his eyes and saw that she was very beautiful.

His gaze reflected both the moonlight and the bright sun, dark brown orbs with endless radiant depths.

The perfect contour of his face, the dark, smooth skin, and unruly dark hair which haphazardly framed his regal face made for a striking appearance.  He was unkempt, and yet His looks were stunningly dignified.  For a brief moment she was transfixed by His overwhelming beauty, but she quickly remembered her shame when she caught sight of the broken idols all around His feet.

“Oh, my God!” Her regret was both physical and emotional.

This Man from her dream was standing right in the midst of her foolish brokenness.

Mara pushed herself up onto her knees and knelt before Him, her long brown hair spilling all around and covering His bare feet. She pressed her forehead to the ground before him and sobbed in repentance, pushing the broken pieces away from him. A new wave of grief crashed over her.

“Oh, I am so sorry, please forgive me, I was so foolish, I am so sorry. I was wrong, this is all my fault. I am so ashamed. God forgive me. I shall have no other gods before You. I will worship only You.” She was weeping again, hot tears of regret, frantically scratching away the mess from all around Him.

“Beloved. Be still. Stop striving.”

He reached down and touched the top of her head with his fingers ever so lightly.  Immediately her tears stopped and her hands ceased their movement. She looked up, her hair falling back behind her, and found herself once again staring into his eternal expression.

What she saw there eased her shame.  Somehow the world seemed to stand still when she was gazing at the moon and sun that shone in his face.  Her fear dissipated with a foreign feeling she couldn’t explain except to call it joy, which made no sense in light of the destruction all around her. 

She said nothing, but waited for His next command, trembling slightly.  Overtaken with conflicting emotions, Mara was transfixed by a solitary tear which traced silently down his cheek.

He was crying for her…

~*~

Join me next time for chapter eight! 

www.persuasiveabundance.com

To go back to the beginning of this story, click here.

To read my personal confession of redeeming love, click here.

With deepest gratitude for all my readers- 

Rebecca