My imagination ran in hyperdrive. I didn’t know when to expect my friends back home, but I was sure they should have been back long ago. I sat uncomfortably on an oversized windowsill in the kitchen, watching and worrying.
Each passing minute seemed like an hour. My hands were clammy. I began to shake uncontrollably. Sweat slid down my spine under my shirt. I was sure that my BO was becoming unbearable and that when they returned, I would be embarrassed by it. Darkness fell, exacerbating my terror.
Rain fell and a strong wind blew. A tree outside swayed in the wind and scratched on the window. Odd and terrifying sounds filled the house, which would have seemed perfectly benign in other circumstances.
I had been left alone in this large house while a group of friends took a day trip. I don’t remember the details, but we were a college group that memorized Bible verses and had Bible studies together.
My fears were groundless but no less real. When my friends returned, I could not admit I had been afraid. “Everything went just fine,” I said. But I was a liar. My foolish pride would not allow me to confess that I failed to apply what I claimed to believe. If I had been honest, they could have prayed with me, we could have laughed together, and I could have grown.
If you are not a part of a small group, find one. Seek out friends to whom you can confess your sins of unbelief. Let them love you to spiritual growth.
Earl C Pomeroy is a retired engineer, chaplain, wilderness camping guide, and recreational poet. Writing poetry is how he processes things. He was formerly a member of the Word Weavers International chapter in Boone County KY, but he now lives in Forney, TX, with his daughter. He has self-published a book titled More Than Finest Gold, a paraphrase of Psalm 119 fashioned as an English language acrostic. For most of his married life, he and his wife, Ila Jean, maintained a ministry of rescuing women from the street in their home. They showed the women the love of Jesus and guided them to a new life in Christ. You can contact Earl at www.mountaintopcreatives.com.