Bible sighed as he watched Owner, who had risen from the chair and was pacing. Looking at the day through the rain splatter window pane, Owner noticed that there were a couple of people walking up the driveway toward the front door. "Oh great," he muttered. He was not in the mood to see anyone and certainly not a couple carrying what looked like Bibles. He went to the wooden front door and stood behind it where he couldn't be seen. The doorbell rang loudly. He ignored it.
It rang twice more before the couple turned and walked away, down the driveway to the street. Owner waited a few minutes and then returned to the window where he could see the couple getting into a black car and driving away.
He went to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. He sat in 'his' chair at the table and took a long gulp of the strong, hot liquid. It did nothing to steady his shaken spirit. He was feeling down and hopeless. The phone rang. He rose and went to the phone, flicking the switch so that he wouldn't hear the ringing. He wanted to be alone to come to grips with his situation and to try to think up a resolution. He picked up his coffee mug and went back to his recliner chair, where he plunked himself, staring off into the sparcely furnished room.
He sat like that for a half hour until he heard the mailman slam shut the stubborn door of the mailbox. He gave the mailman a moment or two to move on to his next stop, and then Owner went to collect the day's mail. As he lifted the handful of envelopes from the box, a small folded paper peeked out from between the Lowe's ad and the water bill. All he could see of it was "Got Problems?" written on the glossy little booklet. He pulled it out of the stack, and held it in his hand as he tossed the pile of mail on the table next to his chair.
He looked at the front of the tract. There, under the question that had caught his attention, was a photograph of a man who sat, running his hands through his hair. He looked as if he was under some real pressure. He looked as if he felt just the way Owner was feeling. Owner began to read the small black type beneath the photo. "Come unto Me, all ye who are weak and heavy laden. I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28 "Come unto who?" Owner said as he kept reading. He read the entire tract, seeing words that said that God loved him and cared how his life was spent. It said that God was there for him and no matter what the circumstance, that God would help him through it. The little pamphlet explained how a person could get 'saved' from sin, from a life that displeased God. It went on to say that once the request for forgiveness was made in earnest, God would send His Spirit to lead the way, to protect and to help the reader to grow in the Light of God's Love by the reading of His Word, the Bible, and by getting involved in a Bible believing church. Then.... it asked the reader to make a decision for Christ.
Owner's heart was beating hard. He hadn't even thought about God in years. He'd gone to Sunday School as a child, but it wasn't continued after he was in the sixth grade. His head was swimming with the disaster that his life had become, and the thoughts that there was Someone who said He cared and could help. Owner reread the entirety of the small four pages. Then he read it again. With every word, he felt, "I need to give this a try. If it's true, it's going to help. If it's not true, well, I'll be no worse off. But I won't know if I don't give it a try."
Owner held the paper between his fingers, as he read aloud the prayer for forgiveness. As he did, he felt his heartbeat slowing. He felt his spirit quieting. In a moment, he realized that he had read the prayer...but he didn't think it was more than reading. He felt that he needed to put it into his own words. He sat, with his eyes closed, quiet for a moment, and then he spilled it all out to God in his own words. He didn't stop with the asking for forgiveness. He asked God to really be there, to really be his friend through all of his life. Owner asked Him to show him how to live a more pleasing life in God's ways, not his own. He finished his prayer. He'd found relief in the meaningful, tearful talk he'd just had with God.
He looked again at the little tract. On the last page it read, 'Get to know Jesus. Start with the Gospel of John." Owner got up, walked to the bookshelf, scanned the titles, and he gently picked up the book with black leather cover. The gold letters read, "The Holy Bible. " He slowly walked back to his chair and began to thumb through the pages, until he found the book of John.
Outside the sun was breaking through the gray clouds. Inside of Owner, the Son was breaking through the gloomy spirit. Was this the beginning of a new outlook? What would this mean for Owner's future. As time goes on, we may find out. In the meantime, we will wait to see.
