Jessica, my very good friend moved out of her father’s mansion (literally a mansion) immediately she turned 18. According to her, she wanted her freedom, she wanted to explore the world, and she wanted to grow without the influence of her family. Having turned 18, she was legally allowed to do that. That day, as she rolled out her suit case, her father couldn’t look at her, to say the least, he was hurt. He loved Jessica deeply, even though she’s not his biological child, she was adopted when she was only three.
While exploring the world and her new found ‘freedom’, she and her friends decided to go on a vacation to South Africa. She was delighted because she had never been to Africa before, even though she is African. Thank God for facebook, her only sibling Tade, was able to keep track of her and got to find out she was in South Africa.
One fateful Saturday evening as her father and brother Tade sat by the TV watching X-factor, Tade got a call from one of his friends that a riot broke out in South Africa. He needed Tade’s prayers. According to Tade’s friend, he had lost all his material possessions and his chances of coming out of South Africa alive were very slim.
‘Tade, I need your prayers, a riot has broken out in Johannesburg, I doubt if I can make it out of this place alive. Pray for me Tade, pray’. He said amidst sobs. Immediately, Tade remembered his sister, she was in Johannesburg as well. He told their father and for the first time, he saw his dad cry.
On Monday, Tade set out to go to work as usual. He was now in charge of His Father’s empire in London. Just as he was about setting out, his father called out to him,
‘You won’t be going to work today, I’m sending you to South Africa first thing tomorrow morning to get your sister’. Tade was speechless. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He was his father’s only biological child.
‘I’m in charge of your empire, what happens when I don’t return?’ asked Tade.
‘Son, you have to go, you are her only hope now, save her!’
All through that night, Tade couldn’t sleep; this was the hardest thing he ever had to do. But he loved Jessica dearly, and made up his mind to go. In the morning, as he bade his father goodbye, he noticed his father couldn’t look him in the eyes; it was just as hard for his father as it was for him.
On getting to South Africa, he faced a lot of trials and all attempts to locate Jessica had failed. One day, as he walked through the desolate streets of Johannesburg, he saw Jessica, sitting right there on the floor, in rags. Just as he ran to meet her, he was hit by a bullet. He died…instantly. She sat by his body weeping, she couldn’t believe what had just happened. She decided to search through his clothes and found letter he had written. He had detailed everything summarized in this story and hoped to give it to anyone who knew her whereabouts. Somehow, that day she was able to leave South Africa by the help of a good Samaritan, and went back to her father. He welcomed her back with open arms and even threw a party for her.
* * *
That’s just how much God loves you. He is so desperate to have you that He sent His only begotten Son to die for you, to bring you back home. This is His Son whom He loves so much, but thinking of you, He gave up this son Jesus as propitiation for your sins. Romans 8:32 ‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?’ Stop wandering; come back home, Daddy wants you! The beautiful thing is that although Jesus did die, He rose again on the third day
*P.S- this is purely fictional, any similarities with real life situations is purely coincidental.
