BREAD UPON THE WATERS by Josprel His name was *Dwain and he was twenty-six years old. As an infant, he lost his soldier father on a battlefield. Everyone who knew his Oriental mother, praised her as a wonderful Christian. *Name changed She had done her best to instill this quality in her son. In most respects, she succeeded. Sadly, in his early teens, she died, too. Then, he had no one but himself. After completing high school, Dwain joined the army. At first, he did well as a communications specialist, but the drug culture ensnared him. His habit reached a point where he was hospitalized and, because of the severity of his habit, an army medical center attempted a cure; it failed. Transferred to a veteran's hospital, Dwain subsequently received a medical discharge. A barroom brawl was instrumental to our introduction. I learned later such fights were routine for him. This time, though, after he was firmly bounced from the bar to the sidewalk, he ran into someone from our church who invited him to a service. On his first visit the compelling warmth displayed by our congregation captivated him. That's when my wife, Marie, and I met him. We learned that Dwain had no home, no-where to sleep and no real friends. Rudderless and without purpose, he just drifted with the current. When we invited him to spend the night at our home, he hesitated, but then agreed; and he remained with us for some three months. Neat, clean and considerate, he helped with the chores whenever he could. He never hesitated to join our devotions, and attended the services regularly, eventually making a commitment to Christ. He studied the Bible and was a consummate questioner. Baptism especially intrigued him. He inquired into it but felt unready to go deeper. During his time with us, he remained drug-free and we rejoiced. Then, one night, Marie awakened from a sound sleep sensing that something was wrong. She went downstairs where she found him on a couch, fast asleep. A burner on our electric kitchen stove was on high heat. On it, the bottom of a cooking pot was near its melting point. Marie turned off the burner, carefully removed the pot, and returned to bed without disturbing him. When we told Dwain of the incident the next morning, he showed a deep remorse. All he could recall was having attended a party with some old acquaintances who offered him drugs which he accepted; after that, everything was a blank. He wanted to serve the Lord, he said, but couldn't kick his habit without help. He thought of attending Teen Challenge, doubting he would be accepted because of his age. Our church supported Teen Challenge and I was an advising pastor for our local center. However, I thought it best for him to apply to a center other than ours. I made inquiries, and the compassionate staff of the Teen Challenge center in another city accepted Dwain. They had ministered to him for three weeks when I received a call from them informing me that he left, complaining about the rules. We never saw Dwain again. Inquiries were made, without success. Heartsick, we finally committed him to the Lord. Shortly thereafter, we left that city for a new pastorate. Four years passed during which we often wondered what became of Dwain. One day, the phone rang and there he was on the other end - hundreds of miles away! He said that he still felt the love our church had demonstrated toward him. He had tried to contact us, and learned we had moved. Repeated attempts to trace us had been fruitless. He eventually met someone who knew us; he received our phone number and called us. After leaving Teen Challenge, he said, he felt that he failed us and, for several months, he just drifted. Realizing he had to come to terms with the Lord, he admitted himself to a veteran's hospital drug rehabilition program, started attending church, and then re-dedicated himself to Christ. How victorious Dwain sounded! The hospital had released him more than two years before, although he still was an outpatient. He now worked full-time in the communications field. He said he found a home church like ours where he met a born-again young woman. They both were serving the Lord and faithfully attending services. Our eyes were moist when Marie and I hung up the phone. We had just received confirmation that what that wise preacher wrote in Ecclesiastes 11:1 is true. When we cast our bread upon the waters, we do find it after many days - often multiplied many fold! Josprel invites readers¢ comments on this story.
He may be contacted at: josprel@verizon.net Copyrighted © 2007 Josprel. All rights reserved | 