Hello lovely readers and followers! Welcome to part 2 of my new series called Slaying Shadows with God’s Armor. If you missed part 1, you can read it here. This series will be focusing on all 6 attributes of the armor of God listed in Ephesians 6:10-18. I hope you enjoy!
Sam fought the urge to glare at the customer in front of him. The man just stood there, puckering his lips as he spoke.
“How long does a person gotta’ wait for a table ’round here?”
Sam grabbed a menu as he turned away from him. “Sorry sir. We’re quite busy.”
As the man muttered more complaints, Sam found his thoughts slipping into a new world. One that wasn’t a diner that attracted permanently dissatisfied middle-aged people who grated against his last nerve.
He dreamed about a fresh start, a new town where no one knew his name. Somewhere his past didn’t haunt him anymore.
Not five minutes after his shift ended, Sam felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He ignored it, running his hand through his sandy blonde hair as he left the diner. His twin sister, Paulena, was relentless in her quest to contact him. After their argument that morning, Sam decided it was about time he moved out.
“What the…” Sam looked around as he approached his motorcycle, the January air biting his face. When he checked the storage compartment, he noticed that his helmet was gone, and in its place was a black, shiny new one–the expensive kind. What he couldn’t figure out was how someone had picked the storage lock to commit this odd vandalism.
He shook his head as he examined the helmet. That’s when he noticed the piece of paper that had fallen out onto the snow-dusted concrete.
Suddenly Sam felt immune to the cold as he became absorbed by the letter’s words.
My Dear Sam,
I know you’ve been running lately, thinking that you can escape the mistakes of your past. I want you to know that you can stop running now. You can come back home to me– I welcome you back with loving arms. Please wear this armor of mine. It will always keep you safe.
Love, Jesus.
Sam couldn’t make sense of the emotions that were twisting themselves into a violent knot inside of him. Who knew about his past? About the wrong he had done? He used to be a good little church kid…until he did the unthinkable.
But not even Paulena knew about that.
Sam clenched his shaking hands as he strapped the strange helmet onto his head. He crumpled the letter into his pocket, wishing he could forget about the whole “God’s armor” thing.
Sam started the engine of his motorcycle, revving it as the darkness of night enveloped him.
..you can stop running now.
Sam could hardly see as the shadows grew darker, like an ominous fog trying to choke him.
You can come back home….
He screamed as he lost all control, his bike flying out from under him as he landed head-first onto the frigid pavement.
When he opened his eyes, Sam knew he had to be dead–or at least close to it. It took his breath away when he realized he felt no pain. He sat up and brushed off the snow from his leather jacket. Not only was he alive, but he didn’t have a single scratch on him.
Sam reached up to remove his strange new helmet, but stopped when he saw a flash of light breaking through the shadowy fog.
Without hesitation, Sam got up and ran to the light, forgetting about his bike. When he reached the parking lot of the old apartment complex, he gasped at what he found.
A woman about his age was dancing around the lot. She moved gracefully–almost otherworldly–her face relaxed as every step she took lit up the night around her and left footprints that looked like sparks.
Sam dropped to his knees.
“This can’t be real. God, am I in heaven?”
That’s when he heard the whisper in the wind.
No, but will you come home?
“You don’t want me,” Sam wept with clenched teeth.
The words of the letter flashed like lightening, brightening his spirit.
I welcome you back with loving arms.
Sam’s tears turned into laughter as he accepted the invitation. He found himself letting go of all the guilt and hurt as a warmth he couldn’t explain wrapped around him like a thick blanket.
After a few minutes, Sam finally stood, unsure of what all of this meant. Was he a Christian again, after all this time of separation?
And then he remembered that he wasn’t alone. The dancing woman stopped to look at him, the dazzling lights of her footprints glowing behind her.
Looking for something?
The question hung in the air and he knew they both could hear it. Before he could say or do anything, Sam felt his pocket vibrate. Stunned that his phone still worked, he answered.
Paulena’s voice pierced his ear like a knife.
“Sam? Something’s happening. I think it’s…God.”
Take the helmet of salvation… (Ephesians 6:17 NIV)
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Slaying Shadows with God’s Armor is written by Emily Susanne at fearfullywonderfullyme.com, 2017 © No part of this content may be copied or shared unless given permission by the author and linked back to this web address. However, you are encouraged to share the link to this post as well as all other posts!
