I couldn’t think of anything to write about tonight, so I did a search for “Christian writing prompts” and came up with this one: “You've just found a letter tucked away in an old Bible.” Here's what I wrote...
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Sal was surprised to hear the old clock in the bookstore strike midnight. She had lost all track of time while trying to organize the shelves, but had almost finished the religion section and didn’t want to quit before it was completed.
If she were to admit the truth, her obsessive cleaning session was merely a diversion to keep her from thinking about how miserable and lonely her life was. It had been just a year since she had lost her mother and only 6 months since Jason had walked out on her. Burying herself in work filled the time, but not her empty heart.
“All I want is a shower and a soft bed,” she muttered, wiping the sweat from her brow as she dusted the last few Bibles and returned them to the shelves. She fingered the worn leather of an old King James Version, then flipped through the gold-edged pages. As she did, a piece of paper fluttered to the floor.
Kneeling down to retrieve it, Sal felt a sudden wisp of cool air brush her cheeks. That’s strange, she thought. She had been raosting all evening among the stale shelves, so the breeze caught her by surprise. Shrugging it off, she unfolded the brittle paper and read.
“To whomever finds this: I have been praying for you. A few months ago God placed you on my heart, even though we have never met and may never meet. He didn’t give me any details, just prompted me to pray for someone who is going through a very difficult time. I know it may sound strange, but he directed me to write this note and stick it in my old Bible so that you would find it and know that he is aware of your hurt and that he is right there with you, even as you read this letter.”
It was simply signed, “A Friend”.
Hot tears stung Sal’s eyes. For a minute she dared to hope that she was the one meant to find this note – that God had prompted someone to pray for her and that it was true that God was with her…even though she was not entirely sure she believed in God.
“I wonder who wrote this,” she thought, flipping to the front of the book to see if the owner’s name had been recorded. What she saw made her heart skip a beat. “Property of Sally Ann McCardell.” That was her grandmother’s name! Surely this could not be her grandmother’s Bible. Granny had died when Sal was only 4 years old. She had been named for her grandmother.
She flipped to the next page; Births: Martha Louise McCardell born September 17, 1959…her mother!
Again Sal felt a soft, cool breeze brush her cheeks as she dropped to her knees. She knew in her heart that God was with her and that she would never be alone again.
(Copyright © 2009 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)
