Always With Me

Part 34- Ellie Harmon

On the way home from the party, I went to drop Sam off at his house. He didn't live directly in town, so the drive there was long enough for us to talk. These were my favorite moments with Sam- the ones that were unplanned and heart felt.

"So what have you read lately that has stuck out to you?" Sam asked as we drove past the city limits. It was late, but the moon was full and the roads were perfectly illuminated. I knew that he meant in my Bible.

"Actually, I have had a story in my mind for a while, and I just can't seem to stop thinking about it," I told him as I drove. The air conditioner was blasting in my face as we drove, and there were a lot of cars heading in to direction that we were taking.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"The Parable of the Lost Son," I began. "I read it a few months ago, before I found out that Dahlia was pregnant, and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. I think I have reread it a thousand times and connected it somehow to the situations that are going on right now with the people I love, but the last time, I finally connected myself to the story. And it has been on my heart ever since."

"So, how have you connected it to the situations of the people around you?" Sam asked.

We were now parked in front of his driveway, but I could see that he wasn't going to get out any time soon. He was genuinely interested in what was going on in my walk with God. I was very amazed by that. He unbuckled and turned to face me. He was tall enough to almost hit my ceiling, but his light blond hair brushed it. His bright blue eyes were fully engaged in the conversation.

"Well, at first, I connected the lost son to Becca's mom. I mean, she left a long time ago. So, ever since then, I have prayed that one day, God would lead her home. I mean, God allowed the Lost Son to leave for a while in order to see that all of the blessings that God gave him were right where he left."

Sam nodded, and then continued to ask questions.

"Alright, I'm guessing that you fit Dahlia into the story somehow. Who is she?" Sam asked. He laughed, but he was serious. He knew the way that my mind worked by now, and he knew that I had to have connected the characters to the people in my life.

"Well, Dahlia also fit the character of the Lost Son. She was running away from God for so long, but now, she has made her way back home. I think that has been the biggest thing that I have seen happen through the story. When I first read it, Dahlia was still running. But now, I get to look back and see that Dahlia finally came home. And the cool part is that she allowed God to embrace her. I don't think that Dahlia has allowed anyone to embrace her, ever. It amazes me how God has moved in her life," I said.

"Okay, so Becca?" Sam asked. I laughed.

"I don't know exactly who Becca was in the beginning, but now I think that she is a lot like the father in the story. When Becca's mom left, she was very bitter. If she hadn't accepted Christ, I don't think that she would have ever forgiven her mom for leaving her. She absolutely hated her mom. But now, God has done such a work in her life that it amazes me to see her. She forgave her mom, Sam. Do you realize how huge that is? She forgave her, and I do believe that if her mom came back today, she wouldn't hate her anymore. I firmly believe that."

Sam was quiet for a very long time before he looked up to speak to me.

"And who are you in the story?"

"I am the older brother. I knew for years that my best friends were running away from God, or that they were angry and bitter toward God for taking away the things that meant the most to them, and I never once did anything about it. How could I, as their best friend, be so content with them being gone that I never said anything to help them come back to God? I mean, think about it. The older brother was happy about all of the attention that he got while his brother was away. When his brother came back, he was angry. Because he had done so much while the brother away, but yet when his brother got back, suddenly the dad welcomed him back in. Why would I have done that? I was almost jealous when they both began getting attention. I didn't even once try to help them come back to God! And while the brother was away, even though it doesn't say this in the Bible, I believe that the father was probably angry. At least until God showed him that He had control of the situation. But why did I allow them to feel the things that they did and do the things that they did before they met Christ? I just wish that I had cared more about their relationship with God than I did. I feel like the lost brother, the one who never once stopped to think about the fact that his brother had been lost, but then was found."