Hope wasn't popular, but she wasn't a nobody, either. She had a good amount of friends that she spent a lot of time with. They would usually go out into the fields near her house and just hang around for about an hour or five. Since it was Summer and they had nothing else to do, it kept them busy. However, Hope started noticing lately that her friends were starting to ditch her. She would call to see if they could hang out, as Michelle, her best friend, had promised, but no such luck. Michelle had found a new friend and Jamie and Sally followed her lead, taking to this new friend and leaving Hope behind. There she sat, all alone against her favorite pine tree in the open field out in the hot summer sun. She sighed with boredom, watching cars drive by in the distant slope that went downhill. Did they replace me? She wondered as she watched the cars. Would they really ditch me like that? "Are you alright?" Hope turned, jumping at the sound of a man's voice. She looked up at the man who had spoke to her. He was dressed oddly; a white robe that draped down to his feet and a violet sash that hung from shoulder to hip. His hair was short and brown and his eyes a deep, kind green.
"Uh, yeah," she lied. The man looked familiar to her, but she couldn't figure out where she'd seen him before. She turned her gaze back to the road, awkwardly.
"Are you sure?" He asked. "Don't you usually come up here with a group of friends? Where are they?" Hope turned to look at the man. Who was he? How did he know about her and her friends? Was he stalking them? What about that odd robe he wore?
"They couldn't come today, they're hanging out with another friend today." Hope replied honestly, trying to avoid the fact that she was hurt and jealous.
"I'm sorry about that," he took a seat next to her. "I understand how that feels." Hope's eyes widened with realization.
"Jesus?" She looked at the man.
"Yes," he nodded. "Do you remember how close we were, Hope? You spent hours upon hours simply praying to me, but you grew older and haven't prayed to me in days, now. What happened? Why did you leave me behind?" He asked sadly, even though Hope knew he knew the answer.
"I-I'm sorry Jesus, it's just that i have new friends now and I don't have as much time now as I used to. Please forgive me," she answered, feeling guilty.
"You are forgiven. Maybe you should make time, you have time now, can we start again?"
"Yes, Jesus, we can!" Hope answered excitedly and she began to pray.
Moral: Jesus is our friend as well as our God and savior and Lord. We often times leave Him behind just as we would a friend. In this story, Hope is being left behind and without realizing it, leaving Jesus behind. The incredible thing is that He never leaves you. Even though we sometimes forget about Him or forget to pray, He is always there right beside us; He is a true best friend.
Hey guys! I know this is different from the way I've been writing and I will right more stories like this, but I actually wrote this a little while back and found it and read it and thought that it really fits how I've been feeling lately. I feel like I've been doing what Hope was doing; leaving Jesus behind and drifting from Him. It's a terrible thing and I really hope to grow closer to Him again as I was super close to Him before. Another thing, Jesus is really the only true friend we have. Sure, we have friends who are good and are kind and have the fruits of the spirit and all, but they can't always be there for you or understand what you're going through, but Jesus can. By our own limitations, we cannot be the true friend that Jesus is. God bless and happy writing!
