• When the Lights Come On
    Another day has passed as I struggle in the darkness I have been in for years. I have been walking for countless days in an endless maze that has nothing but black on its walls. I trudge through the pain of yesterday’s burdens, unnecessary bags and suitcases hang from my arms and cling to my back. I am miserably tired of all the weight I carry and that cold, constant, depressing black. “When will this end?!” I scream in my throbbing head over and over again. My scream echoes and bounces loudly off the dark empty corners of my mind. The resonating sound is so loud that nothing can be heard over it. No one is there to answer my plea for liberation. Silence.
    “Ahhhhhhh! Where am I?” I cry, frustrated to no end. I stomp my feet and wave my hands in irritation. Then thump goes my hand on the wall in front of me. I rub my hand up and down on the newly found curiosity. “Wood maybe,” I think. I continue to rub my hand making sure not to miss an inch, until my hand runs over something metal, something round and cool. “It’s a door!” I rejoice in pure delight, “finally, a way to get out of this place!” With excitement, I turn the metal object in my hand. The door screeches open on old rusted hinges, as a rush of wind comes over me, knocking me down, along with all of my baggage. As I struggle to stand up, a dim light turns on. I walk into the room and my foot bumps into a heavy box with all sorts of random pictures and objects. Picking up the box, I notice pictures of me doing things that I am not too proud of. Glancing at another box, I see other things that shame my family and me. My load drops to my feet and tears spring to my eyes. “What is this place?” I ask.
    “Your closet,” answers a Voice. I look behind me, and see a big looming shadow of an obviously powerful person.
    “Who are you?” I ask nervously, not really wanting an answer from this creepy shadow, but still curious as to who was standing in the doorway.
    “God,” the shadow plainly states.
    “What’s with these pictures of me?”
    “They are things that you decide to hang on to,” he explains, moving to the doorframe.
    “I would never want to hang on to these, though. Someone must want to suffer or something!”
    “Nope. It’s just you.”
    “Then how are You here?”
    “I’ve always been here. Ever since the beginning of time I’ve been here. You didn’t here me when I was calling to you, because you couldn’t stop and take a break.”
    “I was trying to get out. Wouldn’t you want to get out of this awful place too?” I defend.
    “You would think that you would find out, that there is no way out of this place with the amount of time that you have spent here,” God remarks as he leaned on the doorframe. I am now agitated. I play with one of the straps from a nearby bag in irritation. What he says is true. I have searched so long and hard for years on end it seems, to break away from this awful, horrid place, and haven’t found anything until now.
    “Hum you have a point. Well, what do you suggest I do? I’ve tried everything in my power to get out of here.”
    “Why don’t you try Someone Else’s power?”
    “You don’t see anyone else around you? No.”
    “There’s always Me, whenever you need Me, I’ll be there.”
    “Yeah well, what are you going to do?”
    “Well first, I will take away all of the junk on you and in your closet that you don’t need. Second, I will fill that closet with things that will help you. Thirdly, I will help you find a way out of this dark place,” God passionately proclaimed. I could tell He was serious about what He said to me, but, honestly, I thought He was nuts! I had done some pretty bad stuff and I wasn’t anything special. So why did He care what happened to me? Then, as if this God person had telepathy powers He asked, “Do you know who I am?”
    “Yeah, You said You were God. Big deal. Every voice seems to say that.”
    “I am your Creator. The Creator of everything! I have put you above the animals of the Earth, which makes you very special in my eyes. I love you so much that I gave you my very own for you…”
    “Don’t feed me that hum drum song of yours. I’ve heard it for years. Hundreds of voices say ‘Oh God loves; He gave his Son for you.’ Well I’ve got some news for you pal, I didn’t ask for God to save me,” I yell with frustration. I just want him to leave. I’m not worth the Son of God to give His blood for me.
    “But I did and there’s not a thing you can do to change that fact. Just accept it and your life will be filled with joy!” He shouts with all the joy in the world.
    I can’t hold back any more. Tears come to my eyes and blur my vision once again. God comes into my life, embraces me, and takes over. Those walls of the hallways that I had roamed for so long fall down so easily and color rushes in and brightens my mind. God was right! My life is changed and filled with joy.
    Taking away all of that bad stuff that I didn’t need was hard, but God stood right by my side and helped my up when I fell and held me up when I couldn’t stand anymore. My lights had turned on.