Surviving the Dreams

Prologue

Satan stood tapping his foot impatiently as he waited upon the Lord.

"Well?" he said in expectant tone when the Almighty allowed his presence to be known.

"Have you something to say?" then Lord asked patiently.

"I have come once again to consult you on the topic of my challenge," Satan answered in a tone suggesting he thought it necessary to remind Him of it.

"My answer to your challenge stands," the Lord told him emphatically. "My chosen two are faithful to me, in the presence of adversity, even while in the presence of one another, souls from very different walks of life. They each have a healthy interest in each other's religious practices and do not disparage one another's faith. Nothing they have faced has caused them to turn away from Me."

"Ah, but that was not the nature of the challenge, was it? Extreme adversity has been known to cause devout behavior in the most immoral of men. Our challenge had to do with the recognition and acceptance of faith in the midst of diversity. Polite acknowledgement or interest in the differences between religions is not enough, and certainly not now when Your faithful are kept in such isolation from all mankind," Satan pointed out. "After six chances at life, Your chosen have not yet demonstrated this."

"Your original objection and claim to success six months ago stemmed from the lack of recognition my faithful have had towards one another and their lack of knowledge over what has come before," the Lord said.

"They did not even remember their past lives," Satan recalled.

"This is gradually being rectified and continues to be so," the Lord pointed out.

"True, but will they learn from it?" Satan asked. "Will they know what you have called them to do?"

"They will, in time, now that I have brought them together," the Lord said confidently.

"Without interference?" Satan questioned. "You have made them soulmates, but denied me the opportunity to tempt them, to challenge their faith in matters of the flesh. They have failed in this before."

"Yes, they have, but they have learned," the Lord insisted.

"Prove it. Allow me to set temptation before them again," Satan challenged. "If they resist, if they succeed in putting Earthly pleasures aside as you suggest they will, can they then also remain faithful not only to you but to each other in the presence of men? Under the scrutiny of friends?"

The Lord considered Satan's words. "They will be one another's greatest temptation. I will allow this."

"And as for the rest of my challenge?" Satan asked. "That two such people so positioned would be unable to put faith first in front of family and friends, in front of religion, in front of all else. This was the nature of my challenge a millennium ago, that two of your faithful can embrace the diversity of man you so enjoy and come to know unity of faith and harmony of purpose in their devotions to you. It simply isn't possible," Satan maintained.

The Lord considered what Satan was saying.

"The prayers of My faithful have been along this same line. Perhaps we shall see what the exposure to men and answers to prayer will bring. And as for temptation ... you have the freedom to tempt them as you see fit, within the parameters of our challenge," the Lord said. "I still maintain, they have learned. Your efforts will not break them."

"We shall see," Satan declared, watching as the Lord waved his hand and brought a new set of circumstances into being.