Hope Lives!!

 Thud. Thud. Thud. Then the ground shook. I woke up with a gasp and the shaking stopped. For a moment I was confused. Where was I? Where was Jesus? Then everything came flooding back with painful force. “Oh…” I moaned aloud as tears sprung to my eyes anew. Perhaps too loud. I looked around but the guards were nowhere to be seen. 

Why had the ground been shaking? I looked up at the sky. The stars were fading, and the sky was turning a soft gray before dawn. 

I took a deep breath, and another. Then I looked around cautiously. I saw nothing different even though the ground had been shaken. So, I stood up slowly, groaning slightly with the pain of a tense and bruised body.

“It’ll be over with soon.” I muttered shakily to myself. I carefully looked about once more. No one was around. I need to get this over with quickly. I cannot stand much more pain.  

I took a deep breath and began climbing up the tree to a sturdy forked branch about midway up the tree. I paused once I reached the branch. I looked out into the sky. The sun was beginning to rise, and it was painfully breathtaking. I began to cry at its beauty. The birds began to fill the air with bright, clear, songs and sounds. Why was it all so beautiful? 

After a moment I had to pause, taking a deep breath. “Oh! Stop crying, stop crying.” I whispered violently. It did not work. 

For the beauty of this morning only made my heart ache for Jesus even more. I cried even harder. 

I hit the branch with my fist as I sobbed. “Why did He leave?” I screamed long and loud. 

Then I tried to catch my breath. I must get this over with. The pain is too much. I wiped my face with clenched fists, cold determination slowly building inside me. I forced myself to breathe normally as I crawled towards the forked part of the branch.

“Beautiful.” 

I nearly pitched forward as my head jerked up and I swayed violently on the branch. Then I screamed again louder than the first time. I didn’t care who heard, my only thoughts were for what I saw before me. My eyes filled with tears faster than I thought was possible. 

I reached down to steady myself on the branch with one hand and covered my mouth with the other hand as I continued crying and began shaking violently.

Was it a ghost sent to torment me? A demon? Am I seeing things?? 

I slowly opened my tear-filled eyes as the sun rose slowly, He was still there. Jesus was still standing, some scars still showing, and tears pouring from His eyes. 

“Oh Beautiful…”

 He said it gently as He always did, as if I was His precious jewel. As if He loved me with all His heart. 

“Please…. Please” I stuttered, unable to say anything else.  

He moved closer slowly. 

I watched in disbelief and my breathing became more panicked. My head pounded as I silently begged, please don’t be a ghost or a demon… Dare I hope that it was actually Him? He stopped beside the branch and looked up at me. Oh! Those looked like His eyes… 

He held out His arms. “Jump. I’ll catch you.”

I clung to the tree, though the voice was His, and stared at His arms. The last time I had seen His arms they were lifeless and cold. “Why? I could just climb down.” I said somehow managing to speak though I was still trembling and gasping for breath. 

He smiled up at me gently and shook His head. He knew what I was thinking. He knew I had no intention of climbing down. “Jump, and trust me to catch you, if I catch you, you’ll know I am neither ghost nor demon.” 

I frowned, biting my lip, this was true, and if He was a ghost or demon I would fall to the ground and die anyway. I gave him a wary look as I resituated myself on the branch in preparation to jump. As I shoved off the branch, I shut her eyes tight and clenched my fists preparing to hit the ground. 

I never did. 

I landed in Jesus’ arms. I gasped, all the tears that I had tried to hold back poured out into His shoulder as I clung to Him. He leaned His head on mine. 

“I’ve got you; I’ve got you now Dear one.” 

“How?” I sobbed. “How? And why?” 

“I came back to save you. And I told you,” He said smiling gently at me. “True love never dies.”

He sat me down on the grass and sat down next to me. He looked into my eyes, “I know you want to know everything that happened and why. Have patience. I will tell you what you need to know soon but first you must answer a question.”

I nodded, still crying but not as loudly. 

“Do you want to be freed?” 

I frowned. “Freed?”

He motioned towards the collar around my neck. 

My breath caught in my throat. “Completely free from darkness? Yes!”

He smiled and touched the iron collar around my neck, engraved with my old name, Worthless. Instantly it fell off and turned to ash. 

I gasped and cried out for joy. There was no more pressing darkness or despair. “You’re Alive!”

He laughed and my soul was filled with Light. “I AM!! Walk with me that I may tell you some of what happened.”

I took His hand and we walked together away from the tomb and the tree. 

He smiled down at me. “You are free now! Forever free!”

“How?” I asked. “All of this seems too good to be true!”

“Ah,” He smiled again. “The darkness claimed to own you, correct?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“I have bought you back!” He exclaimed. 

“What?” This was an overload to process all at once.

He smiled. “I know this is a lot. Let me explain a bit for now. My blood was the only price that would pay for everyone’s freedom forever. Do not fear and begin to believe the paths of what you were called before. I willingly gave My Life to save you. I Love you. I have defeated darkness and death. You never have to surrender to them again. Remember I said that soon My Father would be your Father? Now you are forever more His Child, Beloved and protected by your Creator!! Do not be tempted to fear the defeated darkness. For I have placed my light inside you, so you never have to live surrounded in darkness without hope ever again. You are free! No longer bound by darkness!”

My heart raced as I listened. “This changes everything, doesn’t it?”

He laughed joyfully. “Yes!! Freedom and Light will never again be myths of the past but Truth of the present and future.”

“Oh Jesus!!”

He hugged me close and spun me around. “Oh, I Love you, Beautiful! Now go and tell the rest of my friends that you have seen me. I am going to meet two of them on the road.”

“Alright, I will!! Oh, Alive!!” I said leaping. “Hope Lives!!” I shouted into the morning air. 

I heard His laugh down the road as He shouted back. “Hope Lives Forever!!”

I ran to tell our friends the joyous news of what happened this morning that changed the world for the rest of time. Hope Lives!!