Short Stories

The Judgement Seat

It was getting late, Dan and Allison where tired and just ready for bed,they had a good night though, they went out to dinner and watched a play downtown. But now it was time to be home and get back to reality ,as they walk in the living room Dan goes to the kitchen and Allison steps into the study room to hang her coat up,just as she was doing that she sees a shadow of someone in the corner and she lets out a scream, Dan comes running from the kitchen and just as he turns the corner to enter the living room he heres a gun shot ,He enters the study to see a man standing over his wife he runs toward the man and they struggle with the gun ...It goes off...And the would be thief falls to the floor,Dan urries over to his wife just in time to hear her last words ,please forgive him for he knows not what he does. Dan looks at his wife one last ime as his eyes fill with tears. He knows that Allison has been a christan for along time now and she had been trying to convert him ,his sorrow is deep.When the police arrive and one of Dans good friends, he tells them the events that just took place. His friend, John, tells him he can stay with him until he`s able to go back to the house. The next day Dan is still awake and crying John who is also a christian trys to comfort him but there just seems to be no help for Dan. Then he remembers what his wife said forgive him,So Dan goes to church after the funeral and recieves Jesus into his heart ,and he fills an overwhelming power in him and he realizes that he can forgive that criminal for what he did.

He tells his freind about the overwhelming power of christ, and John says I know Dan I know I`ve been trying to tell you for years now. Yeh Dan says I know I should of listened to you guys along time ago. Hey listen Dan, if your willing, I have an idea for you. A friend of mine is telling me about this new youth center that just opend up a few months ago. He said the guy running the place is an ex-con turned preacher and is doing some good for the youth in his nieghborhood. He`s looking for some volunteer mentors, if your interested. "Sure why not?" Dan said. Great, you start tomorrow, hey wait a minute John,... Well alright tomorrow it is... Dan gets to the center and immediatly sees the need to be a mentor, "these kids are lost", he tells John . Hey come on over here. There's someone I want you to meet, his name is Derrik and he`s been in a wheelchair for some time now. Alright, let's get started mentoring, shall we? Hey Derrik, hey John, hows it going?

Derrik, this is Dan, Dan, Derrik, Hello there Derrik, Hey Dan. So John, you still up for that game you owe me. Awe man I totally forgot. Hey why don`t you two play, cause I have to go cross town for my wife and get some things, you understand. Right Derrik, Yeah go ahead man, do what you gotta do, Well looks like it`s just me and you I maybe in a wheel chair but I can still shoot hoops. Alright then let`s see what you got. The two played for about two hours and Dan gave up Derrick won the game by 30 points. The next day Dan comes back this time with out John and he sees Derrik in the hall. Hey Derrik What`s up .Oh hey Dan you cam back for more hoops ,oh not today man i`m still sore from that beating yesterday. Lets try something else today do you play chess?.....

And this went on for another month and the two became friends good friends, one night Derrik wakes up in the middle of the night sweating and clammy, he had a bad dream,well more like a nightmare. He started praying as he does when he has these nightmares. Lord Jesus please forgive me for all that I have done and bless those around me, amen. The next day he tells Dan about the dream, Dan my dream is not really a dream it`s a memory of something that happened, it was what put me in this chair, You see Dan I have to tell you this. It`s important, I found out who you are, but you dont know me, I`m the man that shot and killed your wife, with tears in his eyes Derrik tells him he is sorry. And Dan looks at him with the deepest eyes and says I know Derrik - I`ve always known . My wife asked me one thing before she died and that was to forgive you. I struggled with that for a little while but when I turned my life over to Jesus, I knew it was not impossible, in fact it was overwhelingly what I wanted to do. Because he forgave me for all the things that i have done I forgive you, I forgive you Derrik....