She lay uncomfortably on the bed while in the far corner of the room sat a dark, grievous figure. He made no attempt to come any closer yet his presence somehow left her paralyzed with fear.
"How long have I been locked in here?" she asks, partly to herself and partly to the one sitting in the shadows. After several minutes with no response she musters up a whisper, "I'm leaving."
"You cannot leave," the shadow responds, "The door is locked and I have the only key." She is too afraid to attempt to prove him wrong.
She stands up from the bed and begins pacing the floor. Dejected and with feelings of helplessness she sighs, "How will I ever get out of here?"
Making her way to the bay of windows on the south side of her room she sees her sisters sitting in the courtyard, enjoying the sunshine. Their careless laughter created conflicting feelings of happiness and jealousy as she remained captive inside her room. Her emotions began to well inside her until she screams, "I want out!"
"You cannot leave," he replies, mocking her plight, "And besides, what will happen if you do leave? No one wants you. Do you think any of the girls in the courtyard even want you? And what about your Father....where is he?"
Unable to speak, she sits down on the bed and begins to cry. Through sobs and the sorrow of shame, regret and remorse, she catches a glimpse of the book sitting on her desk that her Father had given her some time earlier. He had assured her that any time she was in search of answers she need only to look to the pages found inside the soft, leather binding.
Picking the book up from the desk she holds it to her nose, breathes in, then sits back on the edge of the bed and begins to read. Caught off-guard, the dark figure raises an eyebrow and inquires as to what she is doing. Saying nothing, she continues reading and then in a physical manifestation of confidence, lifts her head towards the door.
Behind her are screams of evil as the shadow now recognizes her movement as his demise. Angrily he attempts to lunge toward her only to realize he is restrained to the chair, unable to move. His continued snarling and writhing seem to have no ill effects on her but rather the opposite as a long-forgotten smile grows across her face.
With her heart pounding in her chest and the book griped tightly in her arms, she hastens towards the door. The twelve feet from the bed to the exit seem like a mile as sweet freedom lay before her and innate hatred from the shadows now grows farther away.
Slipping on the hardwood in her socked feet she fumbles to the door-- fighting against the heaviness of her body to open it. Taking hold of the knob she flings the door open and breathes as one coming up out of the water, gasping for air. It was unlocked!
Now across the threshold her eyes lift from the floor and meet Someone unexpected. She shouts with excitement, "Father!". Wrapping His arms around her tightly, she buries her head into his chest as her tears of relief soak his garments. As the Father stands holding his beautiful daughter in his arms he remembers there is something very important he needs to show her. Getting her attention, he lifts her head from His chest and wipes the tears from her eyes. Refocusing, she watches as her Father brings his right hand into her sight, opens it and there in his palm lay the Key to Freedom--the key to the new life that now lay ahead!
Julie Peyton
Founder, Fit for the King Ministries International
"How long have I been locked in here?" she asks, partly to herself and partly to the one sitting in the shadows. After several minutes with no response she musters up a whisper, "I'm leaving."
"You cannot leave," the shadow responds, "The door is locked and I have the only key." She is too afraid to attempt to prove him wrong.
She stands up from the bed and begins pacing the floor. Dejected and with feelings of helplessness she sighs, "How will I ever get out of here?"
Making her way to the bay of windows on the south side of her room she sees her sisters sitting in the courtyard, enjoying the sunshine. Their careless laughter created conflicting feelings of happiness and jealousy as she remained captive inside her room. Her emotions began to well inside her until she screams, "I want out!"
"You cannot leave," he replies, mocking her plight, "And besides, what will happen if you do leave? No one wants you. Do you think any of the girls in the courtyard even want you? And what about your Father....where is he?"
Unable to speak, she sits down on the bed and begins to cry. Through sobs and the sorrow of shame, regret and remorse, she catches a glimpse of the book sitting on her desk that her Father had given her some time earlier. He had assured her that any time she was in search of answers she need only to look to the pages found inside the soft, leather binding.
Picking the book up from the desk she holds it to her nose, breathes in, then sits back on the edge of the bed and begins to read. Caught off-guard, the dark figure raises an eyebrow and inquires as to what she is doing. Saying nothing, she continues reading and then in a physical manifestation of confidence, lifts her head towards the door.
Behind her are screams of evil as the shadow now recognizes her movement as his demise. Angrily he attempts to lunge toward her only to realize he is restrained to the chair, unable to move. His continued snarling and writhing seem to have no ill effects on her but rather the opposite as a long-forgotten smile grows across her face.
With her heart pounding in her chest and the book griped tightly in her arms, she hastens towards the door. The twelve feet from the bed to the exit seem like a mile as sweet freedom lay before her and innate hatred from the shadows now grows farther away.
Slipping on the hardwood in her socked feet she fumbles to the door-- fighting against the heaviness of her body to open it. Taking hold of the knob she flings the door open and breathes as one coming up out of the water, gasping for air. It was unlocked!
Now across the threshold her eyes lift from the floor and meet Someone unexpected. She shouts with excitement, "Father!". Wrapping His arms around her tightly, she buries her head into his chest as her tears of relief soak his garments. As the Father stands holding his beautiful daughter in his arms he remembers there is something very important he needs to show her. Getting her attention, he lifts her head from His chest and wipes the tears from her eyes. Refocusing, she watches as her Father brings his right hand into her sight, opens it and there in his palm lay the Key to Freedom--the key to the new life that now lay ahead!
Julie Peyton
Founder, Fit for the King Ministries International
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