A View From the Path

by: Stephen Miracle

It was one of those dark nights where the stars are visible. You know one of those nights that cannot be found in the city? The gray sidewalk was seen on account of the brightly colored lights surrounding the neighboring houses. From the view of the path, the annual spectacle is an awesome portrayal of our blessed and secure placements in this world.

A tree hangs over in the foreground of one house. It is alright though, because the towering house nearly doubles the largely white-lit oak. The words, Goodwill to all, are colorfully spread across the large lawn. After giving a quick general view, there was a window leading into a room filled of people with curtains spread wide. A man holding a suitcase is seen telling something to a woman who is crying. A little girl begins to cry, “No Daddy, please don’t...”. With that the man in the nice suit, looks down at the girl, softly rips her from his leg, and quietly shuts the door as he makes way into the deeply packed truck. The girl runs out the door as he pulls out of the drive. Visibly breaking inside, the tears stream down her face as the very man she had trusted and whose arms she faithfully and gracefully fell back into, has disappeared along that long black river.

A few steps down along the path, there was another large monstrosity of a house. This was definitely the largest and most beautiful houses on the whole path. The bottom of the house was covered in these deep red bricks, and the rest of the house was this creamy white with purposefully arranged brown boards. The style of the house resembled the old colonial Dutch houses that one would see with stables, fences, and a large carriage waiting to be entered.

Outside the house, there is a man in these shiny black wing-tipped shoes sitting in a matching black Mercedes. Looking up very sternly, one of the many mail envelopes fall out of his left hand. In his right hand, there is an opened letter saying, “Dear Jonathan, We regret to inform you because of the downward spiral of the economy we will not be able to afford the benefits...” The rest of the letter was ripped. Gathering his thoughts, the man gives one last shout into blowing wind, “HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO GO AND TELL MY WIFE THAT EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE WORKING AND STRIVING FOR HAS BEEN THROWN AWAY ”

From the corner of the block, there sits a man carrying a fishing pole on the dirt right beside a trash can. The man clearly hasn’t bathed or shaven in a week, and his clothes are evidence to prove it. The poor guy, one would think, as he watches these houses he begins to talk as if someone was there to listen. “Those poor souls, everything they had worshiped and put faith in has been destroyed. Do they not see that there is nothing in this world that can fulfill their desires? ‘(v. 19)Their enemies have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.’”

The obviously crazy man begins to stand up, and raise his voice louder. “(16. Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. It is only you, God, who can rescue us from our pains or troubles. In my lowest times, you had freed me from the troubles of this world. Because of you, I am blessed to be standing here carrying only this fishing pole.”

“These people try to do it all on their own. (V.20) Now, LORD our God, deliver them from the earth’s hand... If they only knew that they that they could truly reach you God, creator of it all. Then they wouldn’t need any of these other things to fill that gaping hole inside of their inmost being. Lord, I pray for all people. I pray that they might be able to know whenever they have anything holding them back that they can scream it all out to you... and you will listen. You will honestly listen and whole heartily act. God you can deliver anyone from anything, if they came to you, following in the way that Jesus did, they will know you are loving God. Dear Lord, please send someone to these people that they may know that you, LORD, are the only God and worthy to be worshiped.”

At that moment, the unclean man breathes in a calming breath and looks at me. His eyes pierces into mine. Slowly he begins to raise a beautiful smile showing a mosaic of colored teeth. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a key to a house. Afterwards he yanks a golden necklace with a tarnished cross on it off his neck. Limping, he makes his way over to me and puts the key and cross in my hand, and says... “Won’t you show them the way... Won’t you deliver them from their pains... 

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