“What do you mean you’re not going to church? You get up off that couch right now and get ready to go.” “Or you’ll what?” “What do you mean by that? Now get up and get ready” “Or what, what are you going to do, kick me out of the house?”
At the age of fifteen Charlie started to exert his own authority, the argument went on for another twenty minutes, but he would not be moved, the threat of being grounded, of having certain privileges being taken away, nothing worked, he was firm in his resolve. “It’s always exactly the same, every time, stand when you’re told to, sit when you’re told to, repeat the same words every single time, I can do it in my sleep.” Besides, he never even talks about God, only about stuff that’s going on and how we’re supposed to be good people.”
Three years later Charlie again refused his parents, the school they had chosen for him to attend he denounced, he had no desire to follow in his father’s footsteps, the words were so vehement that he moved out two days after graduating high school, expecting the glare from his father, accepting the hug from his mother. Ten years and six different states later, Charlie had finally begun to make a name for himself, he had spent much of that time working construction, learning the ins and outs of the trade until he finally landed a supervisor position on a two year long skyscraper project. The work came easy to him, and he enjoyed his new found responsibilities.
“Couple of beers after work Charlie?” “No thanks Max, got a date tonight.” “A date, who’s the lucky guy?” Laughs all around, it was expected, a man had to know how to play the game if he wanted to work in this field. “I had a really good time Charlie.” “Not going to invite me in?” “No, I am not going to invite you in, Mr. Dagerson, but I would like to see you again.”
Charlie had never been on a second date in his life, he had always gotten what he wanted on the first one and then moved on, and so Friday night was a completely new experience to him. Allison was very pretty, very polite, but in a way that Charlie could not quite understand, very different. By the third time they went out together, Charlie was beginning to wonder what was happening to him, a hard-working, sometimes hard-drinking construction worker looking at dresses from the sidewalk of the fanciest street in town, and actually finding it pleasing to see the woman he was with pleased to just look. Charlie made a lot of money, and was able to purchase just about any item that Allison wanted, but she refused every offer.
“Would you mind if I prayed before we eat?” The water came out of his nose and the coughing didn’t stop for almost five minutes. All Charlie could see was an old man, tired and worn out by traditions, white collar informing everyone that they had to obey, that above all they had to serve the church. They sat on the bench outside of the restaurant for nearly three hours, watching the children play in the lighted fountain, couples holding hands as they went in and out of the brightly lit stores. “No, no, that’s not what serving Jesus is, He doesn’t even listen to those things, the Bible says in Matthew 6:7 that they think they will be heard for their much speaking, but God doesn’t want that, He wants nothing more than for us to love Him for who He is, not what He can do for us.”
Charlie and Allison called their wedding day their fifteenth date, the small group of men who got together an hour before work started on the construction site to pray and seek the Lord’s face all had similar stories, hard nosed men brought to the foot of the cross, and realizing they were not quite as tough as they thought. Charlie’s parents never escaped the church of works, and it saddened him each time it came to mind, but the day his own fifteen year old son asked him what he thought of him going to school to be a pastor, Charlie’s life came full circle.
