Jesus Is the Way Home by Sandy Brannan
Sarah reached out to pluck a piece of grass, twirling it in her fingers before lifting it to her mouth. She tried to remember the first time Lucas had taught her this trick. They were both just kids, probably no more than nine or ten years old, and she remembered how she had giggled when she heard the way he could make the grass whistle.
Letting out a pathetic sound as she watched the gentle ripples find their way across the lake, she thought back to the easy days spent at summer camps followed by high school and college. Then she let her mind drift to their first few years as a married couple, days spent together alone before their baby had found her way into their hearts.
She couldn’t help but wonder when it had all changed. They stopped visiting the lake and stopped playing in the grass together. How had they not noticed the way the water still beckoned them to come and sit?
Dropping the blade of grass, Sarah thought back over the past few months. If anyone had dared try to tell her that she and Lucas would ever scream at each other, she would have laughed at them. Now, all she had to do was close her eyes to hear their fights. It was a battle to keep it all out of her memories.
She knew she had been the one to allow bitterness to take root in her heart long before all those hateful words had come out of her mouth. Feeling a hot tear drip off her cheek, she shuddered as she thought back to the night when she had angrily grabbed the car keys before slamming the door on both Lucas and their baby.
She honestly had not been sure if she ever wanted to return. She remembered driving around for what had felt like hours, never really having a destination in mind. Hate had been what had fueled her that night, making her move away from the little family waiting for her at home. Hate had been a feeling she had been afraid to let go of, fearing that it might spill out of her and bubble over onto her family. As mad as she was at Lucas, she knew their sweet child had done nothing to deserve this life.
Sarah brushed off the memory of that day as she stood up. Walking back to the car, she smiled at what was in front of her. Lucas was turned around, one knee wedged under the steering wheel as he struggled to entertain Gabby with her favorite stuffed puppy. When she was finally close enough to hear the cry that she knew was her daughter’s final signal that she was tired of waiting to be fed, she picked up her pace. A pebble got lodged between the bottom of her foot and her sandal, causing Sarah to bend down to remove it. She noticed the way the ground beneath her feet was nothing but dirt. She knew there had once been grass along the path before thousands of footsteps had made their way down to the peace the lake freely offered to anyone willing to make their way to it.
Waving at Lucas as she got a bit closer, she opened the back door just long enough to give Gabby the comfort she needed.
Lucas made his way out of the car and into her arms, whispering close enough to her ear to be heard over their baby’s cries.
When he told her, “He loves you.” Sarah felt her smile stretch a little, threatening to take over her entire face.
Yes, He did love her.
He had known her life would have paths that were beaten down. He had known she would need to find her way back to His peace, so He had led her down the path back to Him, picked her up every time she stumbled and allowed her to rest in His presence when she finally made her way home again.
She remembered that day at the lake, crying tears of frustration mixed with angry words she rehearsed saying to Lucas when she got back home. As she had watched the water that day, she couldn’t help but notice its steady rhythm. Soon she felt her heart soften as her tears of frustration shifted to those of confession. She had left the lake that day with the blessed assurance that could only come after time spent in her Father’s presence. His love entered her heart, and suddenly she couldn’t wait to get home to Lucas and their baby, ready to live their life together with Jesus at the center of it all.
Squeezing Lucas one more time before peeking in to let Gabby know she would be fed soon, Sarah turned and said, ‘Let’s go home.”
As she stole one more glance at the clear blue water, she smiled. She knew she would never forget how the Lord had met her here. She never planned to let go of His hand again.