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June 12, 2006 A Familiar Tale It was almost evening now and the night would soon return, bringing with it the pain and suffering. He glanced at the now setting sun and began to wonder how many more nights of anguish and insanity his body would permit. His beloved wife and his children were now just a distant memory, lost in the torrents of loss he felt each time he thought about his life before the convulsions had started. Prior attempts to bind him hand and foot had been unsuccessful, and the looks of horror and fear he got from the villagers cut deep into his heart. There was once when he had been the toast of the town, enjoying familial bliss and looking forward to each day as it came. That was until the 'incident', where hence on he began to experience periods of "black-out" followed by an awakening to the carnage he had caused in his trance-like state. He knew he was different now, that there were voices in his mind taunting and whispering to him; the torment was immense and yet all he could do was wail and shriek into the depths of the night. Death could not come swiftly enough and yet, he knew that he would want to see Dan and Asher once more before his life was over. A conundrum of the greater good he often went through, and perhaps now the time had come. A boat had docked by the gravestones he so often cut himself with and there were a group of men disembarking now, whispering and murmurring so incessant it drowned out even the voices which whispered continually to him. They were here to kill him, to be done with the village disgrace and to dump his body into the Gerasene lake. It was time. He scampered away frantically, desperate to avoid running into them and ending his hopes of seeing his children again. It was then that a voice called out to him authoritatively and yet so gently. "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!" He was inexplicably compelled to turn around, to face the man who had called out. And yet, when he caught sight of this man, he felt a peace and comfort so deep in his soul he had never experienced before. "What is your name?" the man quizzed. He attempted to answer and yet he felt the hot stirrings within his soul desperately trying to escape, it was a feeling he could hardly describe and yet, it felt so uncomfortable. It was only so much his body could take. He blacked out on the spot. His eyes opened to the morning sun and the birds chirruping away in their nests. For the first time in many years, his senses were working and he could truly feel the life in the world around him. The smell of morning dew, the light warmth the rays of the sun provided and the feeling of joy in his heart he could not explain. As he stirred, he found that a large crowd had now gathered where he had been lying and looks of shock and disbelief were on their faces. Then he saw the man, the one who had spoken the words and freed him from his prison. He'd wanted so much to thank this man, to express his gratitude and to bow before him. But somehow, the look in this man's eyes, so kind and filled with love told him that he already knew the gratitude in his heart. "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you," commanded the man. And at once, he knew at that point, that this man was different, he was special. Because for once, peace and love emanated from his soul, pervading the barbed and cynical attitudes the villagers held about his healing. Because for once, he felt free from bondage and compelled to proclaim the Truth. - Mark 5:1-20 All of my hope is in You. Traveller fell apart at 4:42 PM
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