Sara’s Adventures

A yell pierced Sara’s ears. A familiar voice heard over the crashing waves. Sara looked up, to see her daughter in tears.  

“Oh, Emily! What’s wrong?”  Sara called out as she rushed to Emily’s side. 

“A sea shell got in my shoe,” Emily cried. 

“Let me see.” Sara removed Emily’s shoe and turned it upside down. A piece of broken shell fell out.  She put the water shoe on the sand, and inspected her daughter’s foot.  “I see the cut, Emily.  Put your shoe back on and walk up to our spot on the beach, and I’ll use the first aid kit.”

“Okay,” Emily sniffled. 

They walked together back to Sarah’s chair. Emily sat down as Sara doctored and bandaged her foot. 

“Better?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You can go back to playing in the wet sand, if you’d like.”

Emily shook her head, “No.” 

“Why not? You seemed to be having so much fun.”

“That sea shell hurt me and I don’t want to get hurt again.”

“It was an accident, Emily. It’s not like the shell intentionally jumped into your shoe to harm you. There was just a small piece of a broken shell that accidentally got into the mesh of your shoes.”

“It’s not like your friend Anna, intentionally hurt you either, Sara.” The Lord spoke to Sara’s mind. 

“But aren’t shoes, supposed to protect our feet?” Emily questioned. 

“Yes, they were created to help, but nothing is a hundred percent guaranteed. Some small pieces can slip through.” 

Emily looked at the other children building sandcastles and looking for shells. Some were purposely letting themselves get knocked down by the waves.  “That does look like more fun than just sitting here,” Emily thought to herself. 

“Mom, I am going back down to the water.”

“Alright, my dear. Be careful.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“It’s not like your friend Anna, intentionally hurt you either, Sara.” The words echoed again as she sat down watching the waves. 

“Do you think Anna , intentionally hurt you on the playground that day?”

“No, because she didn’t know her playing would accidentally push me back so far that I tripped over the tree root. “Now, Chris is an another matter. “

Chris was another matter indeed, for it was what caused Sara to stop being so cordial toward Anna.

In fact, Anna had called Sara just two days ago.

“Sara, this is Anna. I would like to talk to you.”

“What about?”

“It’s something that warrants more than a simple phone conversation. I would like you to meet me at The Brewery Coffee Shop on Elm Street tomorrow afternoon.”

“I have a daughter Emily that I have no sitter for.”

“How old is she? Could we meet at lunchtime, if she is of school age?” 

“I have prior commitments tomorrow,” Sara lied. 

“Oh, perhaps another time. I really need to speak with you.”

“Yeah sure, maybe another time,” Sara said gritting her teeth.

“Goodbye…”

“How dare she call me, after all she did to me?” Sara raged after the conversation ended. “She knew I liked Chris, and thought of asking him out on a date. But before I could get the courage, the opportunity window closed. Anna asked him first, and the rest was history.”

Sara sat there on her beach chair thinking of that conversation. 

“Look at the newspaper,” the Lord prompted Sara. She had only brought the newspaper to read the comics. Nothing else had interested her. Sara  began scanning the first page, when she noticed a familiar face. “Chris! But wait, who is that he is kissing? That certainly isn’t  Anna. Anna had dirty blonde hair, and the lady in the picture had jet-black hair.”

Sara read the headline “Local Lawyer Chris Block’s New Love.” Her jaw dropped. Sara had been so angry at Anna for years, even though Sara had gone on and married Brad Green. They had a wonderful relationship, but Brad had passed away from brain cancer the year Emily turned five years old. 

“Poor Anna..” she couldn’t believe what was coming out of her mouth.  “Chris betrayed her…”

“You wanted to be with Chris so badly,” the Lord reminded her. “He definitely would not have been My best for you. Call Anna.”

“Call Anna? Are you serious, Lord? Don’t you know she did such a thing to spite me? Don’t insist on me forgiving her, because she doesn’t deserve it. Hurt unintentionally on the playground is one thing, but the other even though I see how badly that desire turned out is impossible to forgive!”

“Did you you truly know her heart that day or are you just assuming? Did I not forgive you, when you asked Me to be Lord and Savior?” 

“Yes, Lord.”

“Have you not learned over the years that some of those sins you did unknowingly at the time?”

“Yes…” 

“How many times have I forgiven you when you purposely told me, “No Lord, I want to drink or any other sin knowing it’s rebellion against Me?”

“Lord, others drink and see no problem with it.”

“Yes, but I have asked you not to. Sara, you have a responsibility when you share with the world like you do on social media. You may be able to drink and have no problem with control. But some that see you are your friends. They have not learned self-control. Look up Romans Chapter 14.”

Sara got out a small New Testament, she kept in her purse. 

Sara read the chapter, but the verses 12-13, 21 stood out. 

12 So then each one of us will give account of himself to God. 

13 Therefore let’s not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother’s way, or an occasion for falling. 

21 It is good to not eat meat, drink wine, nor do anything by which your brother stumbles, is offended, or is made weak.

“Lord, I have never done anything as bad as Anna has done to me.”

“Sara, no sin is worse than another. All sin caused Me to bear the punishment, so you could be forgiven. There is nothing considered a little sin or big sin .  The thirty-nine  lashes and the mocking , the spitting, the nails in My Hands and Feet, left Me beyond human recognition in My earthly body. I endured it, so you could be forgiven of your sins and have a relationship with the Father. I love you, but unforgiveness will hinder our relationship , if you do not forgive Anna. I am not saying this to condemn you, but to bring to your mind how important forgiveness is. Unforgiveness will cause your sins not to be forgiven, until you forgive others.  Sins not dealt with  will hinder your prayers. 

Remember what I told Peter when he asked about forgiveness:

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” 

22 Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he had begun to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.§  25 But because he couldn’t pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!’ 27 The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt.

28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii,† and he grabbed him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’

29 “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’ 30 He would not, but went and cast him into prison until he should pay back that which was due. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord called him in and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’ 34 His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.” - Matthew 18:21-35

“Sara, will you not forgive, Anna? You asked Me to be your Lord, will you not obey? Call Anna. I can heal your heart from the hurt, but you must take the steps of obedience necessary, as I lead. Don’t let unforgiveness make you bitter.”

Sara picked up her cell phone and dialed. “Anna , this is Sara. I want to apologize for lying to you the other day. If you would still like to talk, we can meet for lunch tomorrow.” 

“I would like that, Anna responded. 

*All Scripture is from the World English Bible.