 |
A
man awoke in a dark room lit only by a small fire in one corner. The walls,
ceiling, and floor were stone. A small, thin boyish figure approached him,
"It
is most unusual for a human to be here. You should feel privileged."
The man considered this a bizarre remark, but just asked, "Where am I?"
"Next to the Chamber. I will tell you when to go in."
"What's going on?"
"You are going to address the Body."
"What body?"
"You don't understand. It's like a council. This is a
privilege beyond what you know."
"What council is it?"
"The highest."
"I don't understand."
"Just think of it as praying, be totally honest, and you'll do great."
"Praying, you mean like God?"
"That would be a good way to think of it."
The man made a face, "Right."
The kid spoke slowly, "I promise that this is no joke. You will address
the ultimate."
The man became frightened, "This is a mistake."
The youth shook his head.
The man's voice trembled, "I can't do this. You have the wrong person.
I know nothing."
"Relax," the boy touched his arm, "This opportunity is never declined.
You are going to do this."
The youth then explained the protocol. When ready to be addressed, stand in the
lighted area and wait. Never, ever, speak first. Always wait until addressed
and respond as instructed. If not ready to respond, step out of the light and
return to it when an answer is ready. The man's fear escalated during the
instructions. |
The boy noticed this and added, "This is a good thing, I promise. Just be
absolutely sure that you are honest. Be truthful and take your time. Don't
rush anything. There's no hurry. You'll do great."
The man was beginning to panic, "If they're God then they already know what I'll
say so - ."
The kid shook his head, "They don't already know what you are going to say."
"But I don't have anything to say," the man started to cry, "I don't know
anything!"
The kid patted the man's shoulder, "It's time, go on in. You'll be fine."
Suddenly the man had a thought. This whole thing was a joke. Okay, fine. Play
along. What's the worst that could happen? He calmed down.
|
The chamber was so dark that no walls were visible save the one surrounding the
opening he'd just walked through. A few yards before him a small area was
illuminated as if by a spotlight, but he couldn't see a spotlight. There was
nothing in the room. The place was so quiet he could hear his breathing. The
man walked into the lighted area and waited. Before long he heard a voice, an
older woman's voice, and the voice had a resonance and a strength that
completely overwhelmed him. THIS WAS GOD. The voice said, "If your life were
ONE WORD, what would that ONE word be?"
What? The man found himself experiencing the dramatic shift from normal
thinking to a profound interaction with a higher order. He froze. Then he
realized to get out of the light and stepped into the darkness. He stood there,
paralyzed.
Then his mind started to work. One word? How the ? He thought of the kid
- just
be absolutely sure that you are honest. Well, what did this question mean?
|
 |
Was the word to be what he wanted, what he had been about up till now? Was it
about career? Spiritual? A quality he desired or possessed? Standing in this
place, having heard that voice, to him "Happiness" occurred as inane and
selfish, "wealth" or "success" even worse. He cycled back and forth from panic
and confusion to coherent thought. This continued for some time. Was the word
supposed to be what he cared about, what he liked, what he valued? What if he
said the wrong word? Was there a right word? Truth? Peace? Enlightenment?
Oh, that was good; tell God his life word was Enlightenment. Nothing made sense
or felt right.
What else was there?
At
long last the man realized the question was too deep for his mind to answer.
Thinking was getting him nowhere. He needed to search his heart, his soul,
something else. Suddenly he felt less alone. Something that was him yet more
than him had an answer, an authentic recognition of something that had indeed
been completely true, a concept that had fit his life in every way, and one that
he wished to continue.
He
stepped back into the light and remembered to wait. He felt a certain
satisfaction at having found a word on which he could stand with complete
integrity. He knew that with this word he might be surrendering comfort,
happiness, peace, or fame. The future would not be easy.
After a moment the same voice addressed him, "When life IS a word, speak
YOUR
word."
The man said, "Growth."
With a tone of acceptance, the voice responded at once, "Very well."
Next Chapter
Something Else. Copyright. Matt
Foraker. 2007/2008. All Rights Reserved. |
