A STRANGE TALE

Ricky had just graduated from high school and was preparing himself for college. A few of his friends had been telling him about a new friend they had met a few weeks earlier out in the woods just south of town. This was not a man, but a strange creature with strange powers, but soon, Ricky’s friends talked him into going to meet this stranger.

At first, Ricky was afraid, but his friends assured him that the creature would not harm him. He promised Ricky joy and happiness and vowed to make every part of his life better than it had ever been before.

The creature was strange, yes, but very fascinating. After Ricky got to know it, he was no longer afraid and began to spend more and more time with it. By the end of the Summer, they had become best friends. By this time Ricky had his own place on the College campus and his best friend had moved in.

When Ricky was feeling bad, his friend was always there to make him feel better. When he was feeling down, he could always count on his friend to cheer him up. Ricky soon discovered that his best friend had a strange power. When he couldn’t sleep, his friend would work his magic, and before long Ricky would be in dreamland.

After some time enjoying this perk, Ricky started noticing something strange happening. The creature began to take control, and started putting Ricky to sleep when he needed to be awake, and would keep him asleep long after he needed to wake up.

Ricky was missing appointments, and he wasn’t keeping plans he had made with family and friends. He was late for classes and his on-campus job way too often, and he was unable to do anything about it. The creature was now in complete control of his life.

Eventually, he lost his friends, and his relationships with his family members were on the rocks. He lost his job at the school and his grades were suffering severely. All he had left was his friendship with this strange creature who was now controlling his life. He now saw this creature as a demon, instead of the magical, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky pal he had met only a short time ago.

He wanted out. He wanted to go back to the time before he had met the creature and get his life back, but it seemed impossible. He seemed to have no power over his own life. What could he do? How could he ever escape?

As Ricky sat thinking, trying to find a solution, he remembered his grandmother, and something she had always told him. She knew a man who could help people in any situation. Ricky knew he needed help. He knew he couldn’t do this on his own. With one last act of desperation, he knelt down to pray, and ask Jesus to help him defeat this monster that had taken over his life.

As he prayed, he felt a peace come over him. He knew everything would be alright now. Jesus would be by his side every step of the way. He knew Jesus would help him overcome this demon. And he did. Today Ricky is free from the power of that monster that many call alcohol. He has a wonderful life with a great family, and he’s truly happy.

If you’re a slave to alcohol, drugs, or anything else, Jesus can help you. He can set you free from addiction and give you a new life. All you have to do is ask him. You can trust him. He has set millions free from addiction. He did it for me, and he can do the same for you. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said, “Ask, and you shall receive.”

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© 2017 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

THE DAY THEY ALL FORGOT

Last week, we were watching Veggie Tales with our grandson and Jr. Asparagus was having a bad day. It was evening, and in spite of all his subtle hints, nobody had wished him a happy birthday. There was not even a hint of a surprise party or cake and ice cream. Not even so much as a cookie. It seemed everybody had forgotten that today was his birthday.

After his mother tried to comfort him, with what she thought was wrong, he finally broke down and told her the real reason he was upset. When she broke the news to him, he was shocked. Today wasn’t his birthday after all. It was a leap year and his birthday will not be until tomorrow. That reminded me of the time something similar happened to me. It wasn’t a leap year, but my whole family actually did forget my birthday.

It was the morning of my 12th birthday. I woke up all excited. I was another year older. Actually, I was only a day older, but it had been a year since my last birthday. I was used to not getting a lot of presents so I wasn’t expecting to. That never bothered me too much, but I was at least expecting some cheerful “happy birthday” wishes from my family.

My sisters and I were out of school for the Summer and we were spending a few days with our parents and our little sister at their house. Our grandmother was there with us and she had never forgotten my birthday before, but there was no festive salutation from her either.

So many times I’ve seen the scenario, on TV and in movies, where everybody pretends to have forgotten someone’s birthday while secretly planning a surprise party for them. My family wasn’t anything like that, so it never even entered my mind. They had simply forgotten.

I was hurt deeply. I was sad, but I was also a little angry about it, too. I decided I would just wait and see how long it would take them to remember, or if they would at all. I wasn’t going to say anything about it that day, or ever. I must not be that important to them if none of them could even remember that today was the 12th anniversary of the day I came into the world. I doubt that I was that philosophical, but that about sums up how I was feeling at the time.

As the hours slowly crept along, it became harder and harder to remain quiet about it. Soon, it was all I could do to keep from shouting out loud, “HOW COULD ALL OF YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN MY BIRTHDAY!?” I resisted the urge until noon. I had to say something to someone. Finally, when we were alone, I told my sob story to my sister who I was closest to. I asked her not to say anything to anyone else, and I truly meant it. I still wanted to see how long it would be, but she told them.

They all came and said they were sorry and wished me a “Happy Birthday.” My mom got busy baking me a cake. I don’t remember any gifts or cards, but I remember feeling a lot better after all the attention everybody gave me. I felt bad about all the negative thoughts and feelings I had for half a day.

I have since realized that people forget things sometimes. I have forgotten plenty in my lifetime, even some very important things. It happens, and I’ve forgotten family members' birthdays, several times over the years. What we have to realize is, just because someone forgets a special occasion in our lives, it doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t care about us. The older we get, the more responsibility we have, and the more responsibility we have, the more stress we have, and the more stress we have the more likely we are to forget something. After all, we’re only human. The good news is, our Heavenly Father has a great memory. He loves us with a love that is so pure and deep that we cannot truly understand it. In Isaiah 49, he tells us he could never forget us.

Isaiah 49:15-16  
15  Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may forget, yet I will not forget you.  
16  Behold, I have engraved you upon the palms of my hands;

The Father loves us so much that he gave his only Son to take our punishment for our sins and to die in our place (John 3:16). Jesus loves us so much that he was willing to do it. God tells us that we should love each other as strongly (John 13:34, Ephesians 5:2). If everyone had that kind of love for others, just imagine what a wonderful world this could be.

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My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2017 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6