The Key To Forgiveness
It was a sunny cool day in downtown somewhere. Our church group had decided to take a day trip after our Bible study for lunch. All 12 of us piled in the old red church van and headed downtown. The streets were crowded at lunch time so the driver parked our van on a side street. We all wanted to have lunch at a different restaurant. So we came up with a plan to go to the deli or restaurant of our choice and meet back on the corner spot with the most outside tables.
I started walking back past the alley where the van was parked to get to the bagel shop across the street when all of the sudden a man in a black woolen hat and leather jacket jumped out from behind our van and grabbed me. I struggled hard and managed to back away. Just then the man dipped into my pocket to take my cell phone. I took this half a second to plant myself and shove him backwards. The man fell with a thunk on the sidewalk. I looked on as blood spilled from his head. Someone had called the police. I heard the sirens and felt a touch on my arm and saw the shadow of a blue uniform. But before I could say thank you , the police man twisted my arm back and started to cuff me. He thought I was the bad person shoving someone down to get to their cell phone! I panicked. A crowd of spectators was gathering with various reports of the incident. I backed away slowly while the officer was taking notes. I started shaking and wanted shelter. My church friends were still inside the other restaurants ordering their lunch. I saw an open cop car and crawled in behind the drivers seat like a scared child. I heard my pastors voice explaining that he had no idea what happened. Then all I heard was the rush of blood in my ears and the pounding of my heart as I sat curled up in the seat well. Suddenly there was a hand of a man wearing a light blue work shirt. In his hand he held out a brass key with the loop in the shape of a heart. I felt I should take it. I did. Underneath the key were the words FORGIVEN written in blue ink on the man's palm.
2 weeks had gone by in my dream. The key was tied around my neck with a black ribbon. It was my security as I testified in court about the attack. The court case was a very stressful ordeal for me. I had to retell the attack in front of my attacker and dozens of people. I also had to testify why I resisted arrest. Being in a panic after being jumped on from behind I thought the officer was another attacker! Who was wrong? Who was guilty? I was so confused.
I came home and stood in front of the bathroom mirror and looked at my exhausted self. Then I started shaking and the shaking got stronger until I finally collapsed in a heap of tears on the bathroom floor clutching the brass key with the heart. Shaking shaking and crying I writhed in pain and guilt . When finally the shaking subsided I opened my fist and saw the key. Only this time there was a spot of blood in my palm where the key had dug in and a pink heart indentation where the ring pressed it's mark on my hand......FORGIVEN ......
Then I woke up
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