GOODNIGHT or GOODBYE

Six

He smiled and said Son, the Lord is good, ready to forgive always and plenteous in mercy to those who call upon Him as my father said this, I broke down and cried for mercy, all the wrong i had ever done was right before me and as i asked for forgiveness, as I told Christ to fill my heart and be my Saviour, I felt a cool air, like the fresh wind of the sky and a bit of air conditioner mixed together wash over my entire being. It went through my veins, I felt a rush of blood, like I was taking a cool bath and was being washed clean.

After 5 minutes of this feeling, with tears in my eyes, I could feel refreshed, clean, renewed, rejuvenated. I felt like I could accomplish anything. The void that I felt in my heart, that led me to sex and drugs and all that stuff was filled, I could feel it in my bones, there was no emptiness anymore.

I stretched out my hands to see if maybe I was dreaming or something of that sort, but the feeling didn't vanish, instead, it felt like I was getting bigger. I know that sounds crazy but I actually felt like I was increasing in size, like I was becoming a giant of some sort. Mum later told me that that's the feeling you get when you worship and you feel the Holy Spirit surround you, its like He makes a brave giant out of our timid and human nature, basically, your spirit man comes alive and fills the room.

Back to the gist, as I felt bigger, I couldn't help myself but laugh. I laughed like never before. It was like I watched one of all those Kevin Hart or Eddie Murphy or Bill Cosby shows and I just couldn't help it, but it was different, it had a sense of permanence like it was not going to end no matter what came my way, no matter the trials I faced, it was here to stay, now, I've come to realize that it was joy that filled my heart that day and I can never trade that for any temporary happiness.

Anyway, father lifted me up at that moment, with tears in his eyes, he looked at me hard, cried and hugged me. As he hugged me, all he said was Thank you Lord for this last gift and I wondered what that meant for a while but before I could try to figure it out, father pulled away from the embrace and looked at me and with a big smile on his face, he said to me, GOODNIGHT MY BOY, SEE YOU IN THE MORNING.

That night, my whole family was filled with joy and laughter and thanksgiving and everyone was so excited that I was finally a part of God's great family.
Well, everyone eventually went to bed that night, and all I did that night till I fell asleep was just worship God and oh! how wonderful that was.

The next morning, I awoke at the sound of my mother's scream, and as I and my siblings rushed to my parents room, there he was, with a smile on his face, my father was gone. He had slept the deep sleep to awake on that glorious morning when Christ comes and as I looked at the smile on my father's face, that was when it dawned on me, "thank you Lord for this last gift". I fell on my knees and wept, not because father was gone, but because I wasted so much time in giving him this gift, because he was never going to be around to teach me and groom me and help me in my walk with God, but as I wept, I heard a voice say you put that smile on his face and that is enough.

Even though I wanted more, I remembered a story in the bible of how there would be joy in heaven for one soul saved and I smiled, because I knew then that father was going to have a grand welcome party and that was because I said Yes Lord, because I said Goodnight and not Goodbye.