The Expansion
written by: Doug Bartlett
The moistness that was lapping on John’s face nervously startled him awake from his shallow sleep. It took him a moment to regain the reality of his situation. He was lying under a dilapidated bridge, and a stray dog had been licking on his unshaven face. As his memories began to return to him, he started to wonder which was more dilapidated, himself or that bridge.
How did he get in this situation? How could his life have spiraled so far downward and in such a brief period of time?
His mind then experienced a flashback that seemed like an eternity ago, and yet at the same time it seemed like it was just yesterday.
Memories of traipsing up to his thighs in muck through rice paddies, cradling a rifle in his arms in the middle of a foreign country by the name of Viet Nam.
He’d been haunted by memories ever since then of horrific scenes that nobody should ever see, let alone an impressionable teenager.
He remembers returning home to the States. After disembarking the plane and while walking across the tarmac, he thought about the soldiers from previous wars experiencing a hero’s welcome when they returned. He didn’t anticipate that for himself. He wasn’t expecting anything as grand or flamboyant as a parade. He did think he might get some comments of gratitude as he and others like him were loyal to their country and were willing to pay the ultimate price with their lives.
Well, those thoughts soon dissipated. His best greeting he received was one of indifference, and the worst was one of extreme hostility. Yes, he was greeted, but not with praise and a parade, no, not even a welcome or a simple “thanks.” His greetings consisted of nasty slurs that were slung his way, and sometimes, along with a sizable amount of saliva, as some chose to actually spit on him.
He wasn’t sure how to respond to all of this. His initial response was to react in kind, but he decided that was not the right thing to do. Rather, his decision was to internalize it. As a result of that decision, his self-esteem began to erode into thin air.
What he truly needed, vitally needed, was absent from his life. You see, there was no mental health care available for John, or people like him. There was no addiction treatment program or job training available to help him. No, he was pretty much on his own to try and assimilate back into the society he once knew. However, it seemed that society was nowhere to be found.
There was one small glimmer of hope on a positive note in his life. There was a middle-aged couple from a local church who would deliver lunch every other day to him and the others living under the bridge. He was very grateful for that and never took it for granted.
Over time, John slowly built a relationship with this couple, Mike and Carol, and they became the closest thing he had to friends.
John developed a curiosity about this couple. He enjoyed spending time with them and learning about them. He had a thousand questions to ask them, but did not want to burden them by imposing on their time.
However, they were always willing to spend as much time with John as he needed. The more he learned about them, the more he liked them. They seemed to be genuine and truly compassionate. Sometimes John wondered if they could truly be this kind without having a hidden motive.
But that feeling soon left him as he was a good judge of character, and he had determined that they were the “real thing.”
This couple was inquisitive about John’s history, but unfortunately, John experienced memory gaps in his background and couldn’t remember any of his relatives, not even who his parents were.
One day, Mike and Carol invited him to attend church with them. John accepted that invitation. The pastor gave a message in which he presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ and gave people the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Him, allowing them to experience a full life with their Maker here on Earth and to have the assurance after they died, to be able to experience a pleasant life for eternity with this same God.
John knew about Jesus Christ, but it was on the same level that he knew about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. He knew about them but didn’t know them personally.
But something was different today. The pastor’s words were cutting deep into his soul, and he experienced something that was new and different in his life. He knew it was the pastor speaking to him, but deep down inside, it was like a higher, stronger authority that was resonating with his soul. This was a new experience for John, and it was the beginning of him becoming a follower of Jesus Christ.
His relationship with Mike and Carol became closer and stronger. He began attending the church on a regular basis.
Life was good. It was not problem-free, but he now had a sense of peace he had never experienced before. He knew he would go through this life and never be abandoned again. He knew he would never be alone again, even if he was by himself, as God would always be with him.
He also now knew where he was headed upon his death.
He would transition from a physical world to a completely spiritual life that would be problem-free and spent forever with God and fellow believers, and followers in Jesus Christ.
Well, I could end the story here, and it would be considered complete and a happy ending. However, there is more.
One day, when John met Mike and Carol, there was a dark cloud of a spirit of despair hovering over them.
“What’s wrong with you guys?” he asked.
“Read it for yourself,” Mike responded as he handed John a letter.
It read: “Dear Church,
We are your neighbor, the Walmart Distribution Center, and have been around for over 60 years.
Our business is doing well, and it is growing. This has made it necessary to expand our plant. The only feasible option is to expand in the direction where the church is currently located. Please let us know how much you want for the property, and we will pay it.
Sincerely,
The Walmart Corporation”
Everyone, Mike and Carol, along with the pastor and the entire church, were distraught ……. everyone except John.
John had a peace about him that couldn’t be explained.
John asked them for a single sheet of paper and an ink pen.
He began writing. When he finished a short time later, he handed it to Mike and told him to send it.
It read:
“Dear Walmart Corporation,
We are the Church. We have been in existence for over 2,000 years. We are continuing to grow and would be interested in purchasing your property located next to us. Please let us know the price, and we will purchase it.
Signed,
John Rothschild”
You see, John was an heir to the Rothschild fortune. That fact was one of several that had slipped from his memory after his experience with the Vietnam War. However, it had returned recently.
John was more than glad to help out his friends and the church that was instrumental in helping him make a decision in his life that would have an eternal consequence.
The moral of the story is that it’s not the size of the building that counts, but it is who signed the letter.
I have a letter and, in part, it states, “……….. and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18)
It is signed by Jesus Christ.
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