80- SAM'S YOUR SISTER
I heard a soft knock on my door, followed by footsteps walking in.
"Hey Sam." Theresa called softly. I turned on my bed to face her only to find Cory standing beside her. "Your friends have all gone. I explained to them that you wanted to be alone." She said, taking a seat on my bed just as I sat up.
Cory on the other hand, pulled out my bedside chair, turned it around and sat, facing us.
"Thank you." I said.
"What happened?" Cory asked, leaning his arms on his thighs as he laced his fingers. I glanced at my brother to see the genuine interest written on his face, showing a glimpse of his becoming. Wasn't it yesterday when he was a little lad?
"I don't think I know them anymore." I mumbled.
"Why?" Theresa asked, concern written all over her face.
"Guys, they have tons of secrets that keep popping up at odd moments. I don't even know what to expect next and honestly, I'm scared. I really hope I'm not with the wrong circle of friends." I said my first lengthy words since I returned home yesterday night. Even at church today, I was more silent than usual and had driven home immediately the morning service had ended, before anyone could notice.
I had also switched off my phone immediately I had left everyone at the restaurant yesterday. So I couldn't tell if anyone had tried to reach me since then. Although I wasn't too surprised that my friends came over today, I had refused to let them in, leaving Theresa no choice but to politely ask them to leave. The funny thing was that I made sure to not feel bad. It was like I really wanted to end my friendship with them. I didn't know what to do and I was scared. Worst of all, I didn't want to pray about it. I didn't know what God would say. What if it was something too big for me to handle?
"Cecilia sent a note from them all." Theresa said. I shook my head.
"I don't want to read it."
"Wow." Cory said, sitting up. "It must have been something really bad." I nodded.
"Not just one thing, I assure you." I said, covering myself further with my blanket.
"Funny, Sam told me his house is experiencing a similar silence." My head snapped up at that information.
"What's that?" I asked curiously. Cory eyed me a bit. I knew he was trying to read me. I almost laughed. We could be so similar at times. He shrugged a shoulder, wrapping his arms around his chest while he lifted a leg over the other.
"Sam said Caleb and Shayne arrived home in the quietest of moods. They barely spoke to each other, leaving him and Carlos confused. Says he knows Carlos would have known by now but he doesn't think they'd tell him." Cory chuckled lightly. "Anyway, he wanted to come over but I told him about your mood. He's still coming over though. Really wants to leave his house. That okay by you?" My mouth parted in shock. Was my brother really caring about my opinion? I almost let out a tear.
"Stop staring and answer." He scrunched his nose up. There! Cory came back! I rolled my eyes but still smiled.
"I don't mind. As long as you all don't come here."
"So have you made any decision or plan concerning your friends?" Theresa asked, cutting in. "You know you'll still see them tomorrow at school." I shrugged.
"Tomorrow will take care of itself." I groaned. "I think I need to pray."
"Yes. Yes, you do." Theresa said, squeezing my hand softly. I looked over at Cory and he gave me a subtle nod. I smiled gratefully. The Psalmist, David, was right. God indeed sets the solitary in a family.
~~~
"But you saw them yesterday, how can you not know?" Sam asked with wide eyes. We were all currently headed to my dad's house in Theresa's car. We had promised to visit Melody as frequently as we could and today had been chosen before the whole encounter I had had yesterday. I couldn't bail out on them. It would be unfair so I had braced myself up to be available for my family. Sam also decided to tag along once he learnt about it from Cory upon his arrival at our house. He seemed to have a sort of friendship with Melody from what I had observed. I couldn't blame him, he was the last child of his family.
"I didn't say I don't know what happened. I said I can't tell you anything." I explained to Samuel Isaiah Elba for the upteenth time. "What if I'm wrong or something else had occurred between the time I left and the time they got home? Besides, it's not my story to tell."
"You're overthinking, Sam." Samuel said. "Just tell me what you know."
"Ask your brothers." I said, pursing my lips as I saw his incredulous look.
"You don't say? The worst thing is that Carlos is the only one available to ask now. Carlos!" I laughed, knowing what that meant. Carlos could be very quiet with information.
"Sorry Sam." He groaned.
"Cory, I thought Sam was our sister." I laughed, blocking out their ensuing banter.
"I've missed Melody." Theresa said as soon as we pulled up in front of my father's house.
"Right? Can't wait for summer so she'd be back fully with us." Cory said and I nodded in agreement. I've missed every brightness and life that girl brings to us.
"Speaking of summer, do you guys have any travel plan?" Sam asked as we all got out of Theresa's car.
"Not that I know of." Cory responded.
"Same here. But I know my parents, they can come up with anything at the last minute. So I'm keeping an open mind." Sam said, falling into steps with Cory. "What if I spend the summer with you guys?" His eyes suddenly went wide.
"What?" Cory said in an indecipherable tone. I couldn't tell if he was amused or surprised at Sam's question.
"You'll have a blast, I promise you. I bring so much joy!" Sam grinned, patting Cory's back. He immediately took his hand off however, after getting a glare from Cory. I laughed as I observed them.
The main door to my father's mansion suddenly swung open and two tall figures walked out followed by my dad and... Mr Brown?!
"Uh, I didn't know my dad was here." Sam said but he didn't seem so bothered. I don't know why but for some reason, Caleb's words came to mind.
He hasn't come for that one yet...
I just hope he never "comes for" Sam. It would definitely not be a palatable sight. This dude has been used to being himself. That is, joyful and optimistic. I really didn't want that to change about him.
"Hey guys." Dad greeted and what followed was we all exchanging greetings, both fathers and children. The two guards that led them, which I believe are from Mr Brown, since I recognized one of them, simply stared on.
"Guys, I'll be with you in a minute." Dad said as we proceeded inside.
"Guys!" Came Melody's scream before we saw my sister's brunette hair, bouncing forward towards us. Someone laughed and I followed the voice to see Anya descending the stairs.
"Hello, guys-" However she didn't get to complete that statement and she hurried back up, a hand over her mouth.
"Huh?" I said, sharing a look with my siblings and Sam.
"Hey guys." Dad's voice came from behind us.
"Anya ran up with a hand over her mouth." Cory said, pointing his thumb towards the stairs. My dad's eyes went wide.
"Oh yeah!" He rubbed his hand at the back of his neck. "Why don't we have a seat first?" I pulled Melody away from Cory in order to embrace her before she got to him. Cory glared at me and I barked out a laugh.
"Come here, my little angel." I said, scooping, I mean, trying to scoop my sister up. What? "You've grown." I all but cried.
"Oh my goodness." Cory rolled his eyes, shoving me aside while he made room for himself and Sam to pass. Sam snickered. I shook my head but still let out a grin.
"Come on, Mel." I said to an equally grinning Melody. She even seemed more mature. What was going on? Well, in her defense, she was surrounded by adults...
Anya finally came down after some minutes and we all watched as she walked into my dad's open arm.
"We're really glad you came guys." Dad started while Anya nodded. "I know we say this every time you visit, but we do mean it, every single time."
"Thank you." Theresa said on behalf of all of us.
"Okay, so now that you're here, we actually do have some news to share. Melody knows already but we made her promise to not tell beforehand." Dad said. "Right, Mel?" He winked.
My little sister grinned in return. Okay?
"Wonder how you made that happen." Cory said, although not offensively. I was so proud of my brother's progress, I almost shed a tear right there and then. My dad cracked a smile.
"Unlimited access to all the ice creams in the fridge for a whole day. Plus Melody has a new best friend." Dad nodded towards Anya. "Sorry, Cory." Cory laughed and I couldn't hold back my grin. I was indeed grinning wide.
"But seriously, sugar?" He said.
"Don't worry, we do not have so many ice creams, Melody knows that." Anya said.
"Glad to hear that." Theresa said. I hadn't even noticed her narrowed eyes. I almost barked out my laugh.
"Easy, Sam. You're wheezing." Sam teased.
"Oh?" I glared immediately and he laughed out loud, startling us all. Soon we all broke into fits of laugh. After everyone finally calmed down, my dad spoke.
"Alright guys, so the news is..." Dad trailed. "We're having a baby!"
"O my goodness!" I squealed, immediately standing up to hug Anya. "That's great news! Congratulations!" I noticed my siblings too had all stood up to congratulate my father and his wife, including Cory. My joy over Cory was immeasurable. What if he had been disappointed? It would have gone messy.
I guess I had one way or the other prepared for a time like this. I mean, they were married, and Anya was very much young and still within the "child-bearing age".
Sam also joined in the celebration.
"This is huge." He said to us. "I really hope it's a girl. I need more females in my life!" I barked out a laugh.
"What, no! I need a brother, please!" Cory exclaimed.
"I'm your brother!" Sam frowned at Cory. "Understand, please!" Cory smirked.
"Sam's your sister." Sam scrunched his nose up and I all but barked out a laugh.
"You'll love me, Samuel. I promise."
***
I knew immediately I stepped into the school's hallway that the news of Caleb and Natalie's break-up had gone viral. The entire school seemed to be talking about it. Every little or small group of students I passed somehow said their names or spoke something related to them. I was pretty sure this was not going to end anytime soon, so I pulled out my airpods and plugged them into my ears as soon as I got to my locker. I sighed in relief as beautiful music from "Hillsong United" came on. This would sustain me throughout today.
I did a little arranging and clearing in my locker before taking out my English note which I hadn't taken over the weekend to work on. Today was a free day for us, not because it was Valentine's Day, but because the school authorities declared it so, mainly because of the soccer game today. But it seemed like the students found a bigger topic of interest other than Valentine and soccer. I noted the decorations here and there, although people barely paid attention to them.
Today, our school will be hosting some other school, which I did not care to know about, to the soccer finals today. We all got the notifications in our school emails, though Crystal had informed Cecilia and me about it earlier. It was also written in the mail that there would be an after get-together/celebration party either we won or not and it was compulsory for all students to be there. I had cringed but thankfully it was going to end by 8:00pm.
I just needed to get through today. If I could somehow find a way to escape during the games and get some work done, I would be glad. Test week was fast approaching. It is often said that in senior year in Crystal High, the second semester was always loaded with tests, assignments, projects and all forms of assessments deemed fit by our teachers. All to prepare us for our final exams and SATs.
I was still engrossed in my thought as I slammed my locker shut and turned around, only to find faces staring at me. Startled, I placed a hand on my chest. What did they want?
"Hey Sam." I saw Crystal's mouth utter but since I was plugged in loudly, I didn't hear her voice.
I wasn't in the mood to talk to them either, so I simply sighed and moved past them, avoiding a deja Vu. Somehow, I knew they were going to follow me and my guess was right as I saw them hurry to my front and placed themselves in front of me.
I rolled my eyes and turned away but someone held me back by my arm. I turned to see it was Lucas. Sighing and finally summoning courage, I pulled out my airpods just as Lucas let me go.
"Do you guys really want some drama out here?" Were my first words to them. I gestured to the already staring students. They seemed to be so eager to know what was going on. Crystal narrowed her eyes at them.
"Well then, can we go over to my place?" She asked.
"Is it allowed?" I asked. Crystal gave me a look that told me she was amused at my question.
"I own this school, don't I?" She laughed. "Come on." Well, I guess she had privileges. I trodded after them, too lazy to fight back. I was exhausted. I was simply going to listen to all they had to say and draw my conclusion, even though I'd already drawn an earlier conclusion which I do not think is going to change. I wasn't joking when I said I wanted to stay away from them. I had had enough. They can go on deceiving themselves, but not me. That was too toxic for me.
It was all too familiar as we all sat in Crystal's room. I remember the last time we were here, we had all come to "share" things about ourselves. Little did I know there was a lot to share. However, in our defense, we had promised not to share things we thought were too private. Only that we probably all had different meanings of "too private". I didn't want to be where I didn't feel safe. All I kept thinking was that these people could know something about me or something someone is planning to do to me or anyone else and still keep quiet about it. How can this be a safe space? How can this be friendship? How?
"Alright. I'll go first." Crystal began. "I remember the last time we were all here, we promised to be truthful to one another while also respecting our secrets." My friends nodded. Crystal sighed roughly, then continued.
"However, there are some secrets some of us may be too scared or ashamed to tell. For example, the one Sam found out recently about my past feelings for Caleb." She almost gagged as she mentioned his name. "I once told you Sam, that we've done a lot. A lot of things we regret. So this is us, broken and with ugly pasts. I'm sorry you had to find yourself stuck with us." I frowned. I couldn't tell if she was trying to guilt trip me with her statement from the way it sounded in my ears. However, I remembered 1 Corinthians 13 and chose to think positively about what she said.
"I get you, I guess." I said, sighing. "Look, I really appreciate that you guys are trying to reach out to me and all. But really, I don't know what to say. I've had time to think over the weekend about all the events since my arrival to this school, and honestly, I feel like there's still a whole lot more for me to think about, analyze and consider. That should tell you about the state I'm currently in." I took in a deep breath before I declared my stance.
"I think it's best I stayed away from you all." Crystal and Cecilia gasped while the boys shared a look, but I continued anyway. "For real, I think it's the best way for me to think. To clear my head and sort out my feelings. I really don't want to pressure you all into telling me everything especially stuff that make you uncomfortably." I made sure to look at Cecilia as I uttered that statement.
"But the truth is, I'm going to be lying if I say I do not feel uncomfortable with all these happenings. Like I hear a new revelation at odd times. Imagine we were out having fun and boom, someone reveals something else. I want to know you guys. I've never had friends in a group like this so maybe I'm getting it all wrong. But how do I know that? That's why I need to stay away. To evaluate things."
At the end of my speech, Lucas dropped his gaze to his stretched out feet. Shayne shut his eyes briefly before looking away, staring at nothing. The girls, on the other hand, wore similar frowns. Only that Cecilia looked more lost in thought than Crystal.
"So what?" Crystal began, after clearing her throat a little. "You're just going to bail out on us? You're willing to discard our friendship because of a misunderstanding."
"It's not misunderstanding, Crystal! It's lack of trust!" I blurted out before I realized.
"Wow!" Shayne chuckled humorlessly.
"O my goodness, guys!" I groaned. "Can't you see it? Imagine you suddenly found out something about me from nowhere which you felt you should have known, how would you feel?"
"Bad!" Crystal exclaimed. "Bad, Sam! But I won't back out! I'll support you through whatever. Come on! Don't you get it? You're our friend! If at all you consider it to be so!" She stood up, pacing angrily. I guess she was trying to calm down. I clamped my mouth shut for a while. She had a point.
"Alright. So what do you want me to do?" I asked no one in particular.
"To not give up on us, Sam!" Lucas said. "You're like a sister to us. None of us here jokes with friendship. We don't take it lightly."
"But we're all willing to suffer silently and on our own. If we do that, are we really friends?" I ranted. Just at that point, Cecilia stood up.
"Where are you going?" Shayne asked.
"Away." She muttered but Crystal stood in her way, before she could get to the door.
"What's on your mind?" She asked Cecilia. I noticed from behind that Cecilia quickly wiped away tears from her eyes.
"Sam's right. We shouldn't keep lying to ourselves. We don't trust one another." Cecilia said in a low voice.
"What?" Crystal whispered in surprise. "You too? What's going on?"
"I-I- can't. I'm sorry guys. I can't be real with you all. I don't trust you all not to take actions into your hands if you hear what I have to say. I know you all want to protect me, but what if you protecting me will actually end up hurting me?"
"What? What's going on, Cece?" Crystal asked holding on to both of Cecilia's arms. Cecilia burst into tears.
"I can't tell you Crys." She said, pulling out of her embrace. "I'm sorry." She whispered, walking away. Shayne sucked in a sharp breath.
"Wow! I can't believe this." Lucas said, getting up from his seat. Shayne copied his move. Soon, it was only Crystal and me left in the room.
"I don't understand." She whispered, taking a seat beside me. "I came back trying to be strong for my sister and then I found a family with you guys. And somehow, that wants to be ripped away from me too?" She chuckled humorlessly.
"Is there something about me?" She asked.
"No, Crys." I cut in immediately. "No. We may have funny and diverse temperaments but trust me, if anyone should be asking your question, it's me. I don't even know how to have friends. Even Joe, I barely talk to him now. Naturally, I'd have called him to bare my heart out. I just feel lost, you know." Crystal sighed.
"I get it. I understand you. But I promise, that was the only secret I kept with the guys which I'm so glad it's out now. It tormented me daily. And I just felt that God wanted me to speak up. To tell Caleb I wouldn't have a part in evil. So I made up my mind to do so when I returned after my family and I left Portland for a while. We had to keep sane and strategize on how to move forward as a family. That was why, if you noticed, Caleb and Ethan had been worried at my return. Ethan for more reasons though. I made sure he never got to mess with me again." I arched an eyebrow. Crystal rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, we talk sometimes I know. But trust me, Ethan and I were way closer than now. He simply ruined the friendship." She said, thoughtfully. "I've forgiven him, though things are not the same anymore. We both found different purposes and life ambitions. And I stopped being controlled by Caleb."
"He's just so- ugh!" I groaned. "I don't even know how to describe him. But confusing is a very appropriate word. Don't you notice him with Sam and even the guys? It's like he just chooses to be mean to others he feels he's better than or something."
"Oh trust me, Caleb has way more problems than meets the eyes." Crystal said, laying backwards on her bed, her hands at the back of her head. "Either way, he needs to get fixed intentionally or if not, something else might fix him."
"Have you seen him today?" I asked. Crystal shrugged.
"Yeah. He's supposed to play today." She said, paused for a while before adding, "He looks distraught though." I turned my attention fully to her at that statement. She nodded.
"It's true. I admit, never in my life have I seen Caleb so distraught over a girl."
"Oh."
"I also can't believe I'm saying this but I'm now convinced Caleb really loved Natalie. I always knew though, but I still always thought the worst about him. You can't blame me. That guy literally manipulated me into stuff because he knew I was into him." I listened patiently to her rant before I spoke.
"Do you still have feelings for him?" I asked. Her head immediately jerked up to look at me.
"What? No!" She scrunched her nose up. "Why would you even think that?" I shrugged.
"Well, it wasn't easy for me to get over Carlos, so..."
"But you eventually did, right?"
"I guess?" I shrugged. "Crys, the truth is, I had made up my mind to get over Carlos and I felt that was what God wanted for me. Then we get reconciled and he still claims to have feelings for me, even though he's engaged to Delaine. I don't ever want to be a side-girl. That doesn't even make any sense." I paused to see that Crystal was still listening to me keenly so I continued
"Also, I started having feelings for someone else and it made me question whether I really did love Carlos. The truth is, sometimes, I think I still have feelings for Carlos and other times, I only think about the other person." Crystal smiled.
"You mean, Shayne?" My eyes went wide.
"W-What? How do you even know that?" She grinned.
"Sam, anyone who is observant would know this." My mouth parted in shock. Was I obvious?
"No, Sam, you aren't exactly obvious, if that's what you're thinking." I nodded and she laughed. "Of course. But then, I think, for me, it's just easy to tell if someone, especially my friend, is into another person." Oh.
"So what about Shayne?" I asked. Deep down, I had an opinion but I wanted to hear hers.
"Um..." She stalled. "To be honest, I don't know. I don't see him behave like he did to Candice, with anyone else. Don't know if he's really healed." I sighed. I honestly thought he was getting better. Did one ever heal?
"And Cecilia?" Crystal sat up.
"For real, I have the weirdest of friends. I have a triangle, sorry square, going on right under my nose!" She said, rolling her eyes after she spoke.
"What?" I laughed.
"Cecilia is not into Shayne, that's for sure."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. You act like you don't know she's obsessed with Ethan!" My mouth parted in shock. She knew?
"Don't look at me like that, Sam. I'm not stupid nor blind. I just may be silent when I feel it's necessary." I nodded.
"So what do you think about them?" She scoffed.
"I hate it. I can't ever like Cecilia's feelings for Ethan and vice versa. I don't trust him!" I understood what she meant. But...
"Do you think she has an idea that we know?"
"Well, I think she's trying to hide it, along with many other things which I don't know. I mean, when Lucas told me in detail, all about Ethan bullying Cecilia. I had gotten so mad that day, I went over to Ethan's to give him a piece of my mind. Although he'd said he was sorry and kept on apologizing to her and all before that day he fought with Caleb and all that followed after. I still don't trust him." She said, scrunching her nose up. I reached out to squeeze her hand.
"Okay, but if Cecilia has feelings for him, we ought to consider many things. The genuineness of their feelings, whether it's God's will for them, how to keep her safe and protect her, without hurting her." I said.
"I know, I know." Crystal said, pinching the space between her eyes. "I honestly wished it was someone else. But then, I don't get to decide that. I'm not God. I try to look out for her, Sam." She said, looking at me soberly. I nodded.
"I know, Crys, I know."
***
Number 10 advancing towards the keeper in a one-on-one situation!
Is that another goal?
Yes, it is! Number 10 has delivered!
Crystal High, nil. Aries High, three!
"I hate the fact that my name has to be mentioned here." Crystal complained as the commentators kept on calling "Crystal High" together with the "nil" word. I would've laughed but it wasn't a humorous atmosphere for we students of Crystal High. This Aries High school were currently demolishing us on the field!
"This is so humiliating. Although not surprising." Lucas, who was beside me, muttered under his breath. Why was it not surprising? Well, because apparently, the star of the soccer team of Crystal High was suddenly nowhere to be found! That's right, Caleb was missing.
I had heard someone who sat behind me say that he had overheard Caleb telling the coach he wasn't fit to play. My friends and I who had somehow managed to all sit together despite our earlier conversation (which wasn't surprising), had been shocked. Yes, we had expected him to probably be in the foulest of moods but not refusing to play. I mean this was Caleb. Proud Caleb!
Soon I heard the whistle blow signalling the end of the first half. I immediately stood up.
"I'm famished. Going to get something to eat. This was torturing to watch. Besides it's almost lunch time."
"I'll come with." Lucas said, standing up immediately.
"Oh we're all coming with!" Crystal said and soon my friends and I all headed to the cafeteria.
"Has anybody seen Caleb?" I heard a voice call as soon as we walked in. It was Ethan and sure enough when I looked up, I saw him with the other bullies together with Carlos. The girls weren't with them which should be understandable.
"Nope." Shayne responded. I looked at Crystal and she frowned.
"I don't know where he could be. He was at his locker the last time I saw him today." Lucas sighed.
"Can we just get some food?"
Somehow, I found myself getting worried about Caleb. Where could he be? How could he just back out when his team needed him the most? He was their captain and today of all days! I didn't know so much about soccer but I knew that once you were down "3-nil" at the first half of the game, you needed a miraculous comeback because the opposing team didn't need to work so much other than in the defense. However, it didn't look like these other team were planning to back down. They had launched a counter attack at the last minute of first half. If care wasn't taken, they could have more numbers before the game ended.
This would be very disgraceful for Crystal High. We were often considered the best in soccer, no doubt especially because of the main striker, Caleb. I had seen him play a few times, that guy's good. Another thing that somewhat made me feel uncomfortable was the fact that I had spotted some scouts. Somehow, I couldn't stop the tug in my chest even as I ordered my food and collected it.
Deep down, I had an idea where Caleb would be. He was definitely still in school because the guards would have stopped him from leaving. He would most definitely still be in school, but in the oddest of places. I faintly recalled him dragging me there once. It's the truth, I do not believe anyone would ever imagine Caleb in the piano/music room.
But even if I did think he was there, I couldn't just tell anyone. I didn't want to start anything I couldn't end. However, the tug kept on, so I yielded. Only, I decided to go on by myself. So as soon as I had collected my pack of lunch, I had handed them to Crystal, excusing myself. Thankfully, they were engrossed in some discussion with the guys so they didn't follow me.
I ran faster so I wouldn't be traceable at all to them. I halted as soon as I turned the bend towards the passage where the music room was located. Carefully, I took steps towards the door and I halted again as soon as I got to the door. I heard muffling sounds so I pressed my ear on the door.
When I couldn't decipher, I quietly opened the door and what I saw was going to stay in my memory forever.
Caleb Brown was crying!
A/N:
Hi guys!!! How are you all doing? Trust you’re all doing great! Well, I am, all Glory to God. So sorry for staying this long. Thank you for being patient! God bless you all! I really love and appreciate you all!❤️❤️❤️
Happy Sunday too! 💃💃💃
Here's the latest news: so this is going to be the penultimate chapter (I hope you enjoyed it🥰❣️) The final chapter is going to be an epilogue by God's Grace, so be expectant 🤗.
I thank God so much for how far He's helped me with this book. There were many challenges but God is Good! He's always taught me to triumph over situations and not back out because that's what HE does as God, and it's consistent with His nature as All Powerful and Loving. He's not "scared" of "obstacles". And as His Children, we're victorious irrespective of the challenge! We have our Father who is for us! You don't know how strong you are until you scale through challenges and I thank God for the continuous life trainings that bring out so many virtues in me and help me understand God's heart and will better, even as the enemy (the devil) brings about obstacles (in various forms and systems).
Thank you all so much for sticking with this book, through thick and thin. Y'all are the MVPs! God bless you all!
Perhaps you don't know the true God and you desire a relationship with Him. Oh let me tell you, He's been waiting for you ever since. Want to know God's heart? Read the parable of the "Prodigal Son". And also see here:
Revelation 3:20
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." (NIV)
The decision is yours guys. For God, He's always ready. But the sad truth is, we may not have all the time to "be ready". Salvation is free and a readily available gift to ANY who will receive it, no background check, I assure you!
"There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]." Galatians 3:28 (AMP)
The only thing that guarantees is this:
"And what is God’s “living message”? It is the revelation of faith for salvation, which is the message that we preach. For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will experience salvation. The heart that believes in him receives the gift of the righteousness of God—and then the mouth confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scriptures encourage us with these words: “Everyone who believes in him will never be disappointed.”"
Romans 10:9-11 (TPT)
See you guys in the next chapter/ epilogue. Stay blessed and always remember that God loves you so much more than I can ever. I mean we’re His creation and He cherishes us greatly and dearly🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️.
But He's not forceful, love isn't. 1 Corinthians 13. So knocking on the door of your heart, He only tells us to believe in Him(trust in Him), John 6:29. I hope we'll make the right decision quickly🙏. If you have any question or comment, don't forget my DM is always open🙏❤️❤️❤️! And if you said that prayer of faith that gives you salvation, congratulations, I welcome you to God's family💃! Because that's what it makes you: born again into God's family and Kingdom, and saved! HALLELUJAH 💃💃💃. Kindly enter my DM too🙏❤️❤️❤️🤗
God bless us all!!!!
Takia!
Shirley!!!