Long Lost Love

Chapter 9

Luis' heart sank as he watched Rachel walk out of the coffee shop. What have I done? He thought, as he grew angry. He slammed his fists on the table as he got up.

"Why Lord?" He voiced.

Luis gathered his things and walked out of the coffee shop straight to his cabin. He was scheduled to stay one more week at CHW, but he just couldn't go another day with seeing her and not be able to talk to her. His heart broke once again. His head fell as he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders yet again. He dropped to his knees.

"I don't understand Father...You know my heart better than I do, show me the way I should go."

He surrendered all of his emotions to God and pleaded for restoration and wisdom. He slowly picked himself up and took a good look out of his panoramic window view of the mountains and made the decision to leave the camp at that very moment.

"Thank you Lord." He said as tears rolled down his face. "Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your mercy and unconditional love."

He proceeded to pack his belongings, made a call to the front desk and asked for His car to be driven to the front parking lot. He didn't give excuses, just simply thanked them for a wonderful experience and was deeply grateful for the support the counselor gave him within the two weeks he was there. He was truly saddened he was unable to continue with his scheduled stay. Finishing his packing, he received a phone call from the front desk informing him that his vehicle was ready for him.

"Thank you. I'll be right there."

He paused. Took one more look out his window and sighed. "I'm going, Lord." He grabbed his luggage and walked out the door.

"This all for ya Sir?" The student worker asked.

"Um, yes. I believe so."

"Please, let me get those for you." As he grabbed his bags and placed them in the trunk for Luis.

"Here you are." Luis said, as he secretly gave him a bill.

"Oh no sir, I couldn't."

"Please take it. I'm grateful for your help."

"Yes Sir, Thank you." The young man smiled and tipped his head.

Luis got into his car and grabbed his steering wheel. "Well isn't this something?" As he remembered the day he walked out of the lawyers office after signing his divorce decree. But immediately felt the Holy Spirit's comfort and peace. Without another thought, he drove off and headed home.

His drive home was long and filled with sporadic conversations with God. Prayers in between those conversations and lots of tears. During his stay at CHW, he learned to accept emotions as they came and to allow them to guide him toward healing. Luis took deep breaths as he contemplated whether to call Pastor Matt. He took one more deep breath and called him.

"Luis? Hey man, how are you?"

"Hey Matt. I'm on my way home. Not doing great, I have to say."

"I'm sorry to hear that Luis. How can I help?"

"I'm about an hour from the Metro, can I meet with you today?"

"You can actually. Why don't you come to the house and we can spend some time on the patio barbecuing."

"That sounds great. I'll see you in a bit then."

Luis instantly felt relief and became hopeful. As he continued his drive, he thought heavily about how he left things with Rachel and was deeply regretful. He contemplated giving her a call, but he chose not to until he spoke with Matt and got some helpful advice.