Young woman rings my doorbell. Juggling a red leather Bible and an overstuffed planner she introduces herself and the boy wandering around her. Says she is reading encouragement from scripture to those who wish to listen.
“May I read for you?”
I say, “Yes.”
Deftly juggling planner and Bible, she reads from Ecclesiastes. Her voice is serene and assured as she reads God created man to live forever, but he is trapped in a world of decay and death.
“Not very encouraging,” I think.
She levels her brown eyes at me and asks, “Do you believe we were made to live forever?” The boy’s eyes wander everywhere; he shifts and shuffles around the doorway.
Glancing at him, I say, “Yes.”
She shuffles the planner above the Bible, opens it, and angles a copy of The Watchtower slightly towards me. “Would you like to read more about God’s plan for us to live forever?”
I say, “No. I’ve read The Watchtower before and I don’t think I want to look at it again right now.” I’m lost in her brown eyes, wondering if the boy is her son, hoping he is her little brother.
Concern creases her brow, “Do you have a problem with The Watchtower, because . . .”
“Not really, and it would take time to talk about right now, but thank you for the encouragement.”
Pausing mid-sentence, her eyes glance down to the wandering boy, “Thank you for letting me read.” She takes the boy’s hand, turns, and walks down the sidewalk toward the driveway. Her walk is serene and assured.
The boy twists to look back as they go; his brown eyes settle on me, searching.
Glancing at her walk, I think, “Yes.”
No comments:
Post a Comment