by Cori Leigh | Jun 12, 2024 | Short Stories
Sierra sat propped up in her bed, her room shrouded in the dim, gray light of early morning. The laptop screen cast a cold, blue glow on her face as she scrolled through page after page, searching for a glimmer of hope amidst her sea of despair. Each click felt heavier, as if the weight of her sorrow was pressing her down into the mattress.
It had been 18 long months since her fiancé, Seth, was killed in a fatal car crash. The dreams they had shared, the future she had envisioned, seemed to have died along with him. The weight of grief, anxiety, and depression felt like an anchor, dragging her deeper into a chasm of darkness.
Her eyes were red and swollen from countless nights of tears, and her heart felt like it was wrapped in layers of lead. With a heavy sigh, she continued her search for something—anything—that might bring her comfort. Just as she was about to close her laptop in defeat, her weary eyes stumbled upon a blog titled Light in the Shadows. Desperation drove her to click the link, hoping that perhaps, just maybe, this time something would speak to her aching heart.
Through blurred vision, Sierra read a poem titled A Hope for Tomorrow:
A Hope for Tomorrow
Black clouds of uncertainty
leave you no hope;
as you stumble and fall
down a discouraging slope.
Into your valley of
lonely despair,
Jesus is asking you
to meet Him right there.
He’ll raise out from your valley
restoring lost hope,
giving you strength as
you learn to cope.
He is your light of hope
in all of the pain;
joy comes in the morning
so you can dance in the rain.
He knows your sorrows
and just how you feel,
aware you are hurting
and wants you to heal.
He heals your broken places
and calms the fears;
be your light of hope for
all of your years.
Let the Lord radiate your path
for today and tonight,
taking you out of the shadows
and into His light.
Surrender all of your burdens
and broken heart,
Jesus is your comforter
in Him healing will start.
You are wonderfully made
and He loves you,
knowing just when you’re
happy or blue.
One day at a time He’ll help
you to stand,
as you walk in faith toward
all He has planned.
In Him, you have a purpose
and are here for a reason,
the struggles you face
are here for a season.
Sierra’s tears began to dry as she absorbed the soothing words of the poem. A flicker of realization sparked within her. It had been too long since she had turned to God, too long since she had sought solace in her faith.
A sense of clarity washed over her—perhaps it was time to reconnect with the faith she had abandoned. Closing the lid on her laptop, she rose from her bed with newfound resolve.
Grabbing her Bible, she opened it up to the first verse she saw. It said:
“You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.”
2 Samuel 22:29 (NIV)
Have you ever faced a time when everything seemed to fall apart, and hope felt like a distant dream? What helped you navigate through those moments of darkness? I invite you to share your experiences and insights in the comments below. Your story could be the light of hope someone else needs.
by Cori Leigh | Jul 11, 2023 | Short Stories
“C’mon Pete, we have to walk a little faster or we’re going to be late for school,” said Pete’s ten-year-old sister, Mary.
“It’s just that my legs won’t go fast, Mary,” five-year-old Pete whined.
“If you don’t walk faster, I’m walking on without you. Do you want to go all alone?” she said.
“Mommy said you can’t leave me because I’m too young,” he reminded her as they walked down the poverty-stricken street.
Pete reached into his right pocket and started playfully jiggling a red jelly bean.
“If you don’t walk faster, I’ll leave you here, I promise!” Mary said angrily.
They continued the long trek to school while Pete tried to speed up his steps. He splashed his running shoes in a big puddle of water.
“Mary, my Sunday school teacher said God wants us to be nice to people. So you have to be nice to me, okay?” he said with his big blue eyes looking up at her.
“Okay, Pete, I’ll try, but keep walking faster. If you don’t, I’ll hold your hand all the way there.”
“I don’t like holding your hand. It makes my hand sweat.”
“Then walk quickly and don’t talk, just walk,” she ordered.
Silence took over the remainder of the next few minutes. Mary enjoyed a moment of peace.
“Pete, we’re almost there. We’ll get there before the bell rings,” she said.
Oh no! Where’s Pete?
Mary couldn’t believe he had disappeared. Pete was there just a few minutes ago.
“Pete! Where did you go? Last time I looked, you were right here!” She called out for her brother.
No, Pete didn’t pop out from behind a bush or respond to her calls. It was as if he had vanished.
Mary stood for a few seconds, her mind racing as she ran toward the school to tell someone.
Meanwhile, little Pete was on a journey of his own. He had seen a cute kitten a few minutes ago and stopped to pet it. As it darted behind a bush, Pete chased it and found it under the bush with the cutest eyes staring back at him.
“Hi, little kitty, you are so cute. Do you want to come to school with me?” he said sweetly as he picked up the kitten.
Pete took his backpack off his shoulders and opened it up to place the kitten inside. Excited to show his friends and his sister what he had found, he closed the backpack and put it back over his shoulders.
As he walked toward the school, he realized Mary was nowhere in sight.
“You okay back there, kitty?” he asked.
He walked, hoping to see his sister soon on the way.
Back at the school, Mary was in a frenzy, not knowing where Pete was. Mrs. Hayward, the school secretary, said they would call their mother.
“But my mom will be so mad at me because I lost my brother,” Mary said with a worried look on her face.
“It isn’t your fault, Mary. Just sit here for a few minutes,” Mrs. Hayward reassured her as she picked up the phone.
Pete, meanwhile, realized he was lost. He began to look for someone who could help. He prayed to God to help him find his way.
“What are you doing out on the streets all alone, boy?” a gruff voice said from behind him.
Pete turned around to see a tall older man with torn clothes and a long white beard.
“Son, you look lost. My name is Ben. What’s your name?”
“Pete. Can you help me find my school? I lost my sister and myself, too. I found a kitten and it’s lost too. That’s how I got lost. I chased it and then put it in my backpack,” Pete said, trying not to cry.
“I can probably help you find your school. Did you say you have a kitten in your backpack?” the man asked.
“Yes, would you like to see it? It’s cute and little,” Pete offered.
“Sure.”
Pete took off his backpack and opened it up, but the kitten was gone.
All he could do was cry now. He was lost, scared, and couldn’t find his sister. Now the kitten he was going to take to school was gone!
“I’m scared!” Pete cried as he looked hopelessly up at the man.
“It’s okay to be scared. I’ve been afraid lots of times. I’ve been lost just like you and spent many nights hungry. I wish I had something to give you, but I don’t have anything. I’m just a poor homeless man. Let’s go try to find your school and your sister. Maybe the kitten will find you again.”
“What is a homeless man?” Pete asked curiously.
“I have no home to live in, no bed to sleep in, no money to buy food or clothing,” the man explained.
“At my church, we give things to people who have nothing. Maybe you should come to my church and get some stuff. They can help you there. Maybe they’ll even give you a home. Sometimes, we eat at church. Maybe they can feed you. They have a plate we put money in, and there is always a lot of money in it. Maybe they will give you some money,” Pete said.
“God gave up on me years ago, and so did people. I don’t think your church wants to see someone like me,” the man said sadly, having lost hope and faith.
“They would be nice to you and even give you new clothes. The ones you’re wearing aren’t good. You might get cold with all those holes in your clothes.”
“Pete! Where have you been?” a familiar voice yelled from across the street.
Pete looked over and saw his mom running toward him. Taking his knapsack off his back, he put it on the ground and reached in to grab his lunch.
“Here is my lunch. I want you to have it so you aren’t hungry anymore. Jesus will make more just like he did with the bread in the Bible. Then you will always have something to eat. Bye and thanks for helping me,” Pete said as he handed the old man his lunch.
He ran over to his mother.
“Who is that man, Pete? I told you never to talk to strangers,” his mom said as they walked across the street toward her car.
“Mom, he has no home. He was nice to me. He’s lost just like me and hungry, so I gave him my lunch,” Pete said.
“I am so glad you’re okay, Pete. It was nice of you to give the man your lunch. I just don’t want you talking to strangers,” Pete’s mom said, touched by her son’s compassion.
“Mom, I forgot to give him something,” Pete said. Then he walked over to the man who was sitting on the curb eating the lunch Pete had given him.
“I want you to have this, too. It’s my special red jelly bean. Every time I remember a Bible verse, my mom gives me a jelly bean. This morning I got a red one. Don’t eat it—just look at it every day so you can remember God loves you. He’ll get you new clothes and a home too!”
“Thanks, boy. Tell your mom she makes a good lunch.”
“Okay, bye.”
Two weeks later…
The same man walked into a local church carrying the red jelly bean Pete had given him. He would never forget the kind little boy he met on the street. Pete had given him a glimmer of hope beyond his pain.
Every time he looked at the red jelly bean, he thought of Pete and God’s love for him. For the first time, he had hope for a better tomorrow.
