Escape!
It seemed as if life had become status quo...bordering on a rut.
Bob was not really content, even though it seemed from all indicators that he had
his world by the tail.
But, something was missing!
Some would say it could be from the lack of money...nope! Bob's bank account was
bulging at the seams!
Others would contend it could be from the lack of materialism...nope! Bob had a
beautiful home, 3 car garage with an Audi 8, a Range Rover, and a Mercedes coup
convertible!
Out back he had 2 jet skis, a pontoon and a 40 ft. RV!
Yes, those who did not really know Bob except from a distance might surmise
this man was one of the luckiest fellows on God's green earth.
For you see, when one's life is measured from the "obvious", as in Bob's case,
his obvious would suggest he should be one of the happiest men in the world.
(Hmmm! But as I love to state, "The obvious is seldom the actual.")
Those who knew Bob intimately, knew he was attempting to live the American
Dream...he had accomplished goals few in his circle of life had even considered, let
alone, accomplished.
Successful businessman, husband, father...but, something was missing!
It showed, behind closed doors.
He would sit for hours, staring at the monster tv on the wall, contemplating what was
his life's true purpose. See, the mind of a man is directly proportioned to his heart.
As he drank to relieve the tensions of the day, he strove to make sense of what it was
that actually drove him.
He would quietly analyze the events of his days, calculating the progress he made
day in and day out. Methodically, he patted himself on the back for making crucial
decisions which seemingly always added to his inflated ego.
Among his peers, he stood a head and shoulders taller, and solved problems which
mind boggled many of his associates.
But, something was missing!
Those who knew him intimately...his wife, his now almost grown kids, began to read
the tell tale signs.
It doesn't take a Philadelphia lawyer to discern discontentment.
He had been successful in concealing his "escape"...for over a year he had been
having an extra-marital affair, a weekly event which initially gave him a new incentive
to an already inflated ego.
He justified it in his mind daily, because it was a daily condemnation. At least he
wasn't doing drugs, nor drinking excessively (even though he drank nightly), nor
stealing from his company; and just look at all he had provided for his wife and kids.
Yes, when one finds an "escape" from the struggle of daily responsibilities, the first
reaction is to justify it. He wasn't hurting anyone, and truthfully, his mistress was not
requiring much from him...just a few Benjamin Franklins left on the pillow next to her
when they parted ways from the weekly escapades.
For sure, it wasn't a romantic encounter, just an "escape", for his mistress wasn't
looking for a long term partner.
Like him, she was in a rut...and just enjoyed sexual pleasures which long escaped
her marriage parameters. As she unloaded on Bob on many occasions, her love tank
was empty because her husband just wasn't 'romantic' enough to meet her needs of
gratification, so Bob made sure he filled her tank weekly...physically and financially.
Thus, it became a justifiable act for the both of them.
But, something was missing!
These were some of the issues he pondered many times as he stared blankly at the
tv, while sipping on a glass of wine.
He knew, being the intelligent man he was, that sooner or later his wife was going to
find out, and then he was going to have severe consequences to face.
Suddenly, while surfing the channels, he heard a man talking about "the answer to
all of life's problems"!
His ears perked up, because suddenly here was a man on a big screen looking
directly into Bob's eyes, and stating, "I know who you are, I know what you say day in
and day out, I see your deeds daily, for nothing is concealed from me. If you have
forgotten the name of your God, or stretched out your hands to a strange God, shall
not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of your heart."
Whew! When Bob heard those words, he felt as if a knife pierced his heart!
Immediately he began to have flashbacks of his past. The one person he held in high
regard and loved more than life itself at one time was his grandma!
She had taught him the real meanings of life as a boy...love, trust, hope, faith, grace,
mercy! She taught him how to pray The Lord's Prayer, as she prayed for and with him
each time he spent the night with her. She read him Bible stories, most of which he
had allowed to slip through his fingers with age.
Now, here in a matter of a couple of minutes, a man unknown to Bob had stirred him
to remember the days of his youth!
Suddenly the light came on...he realized the "something" that was missing in his life!
As he began to allow tears to stream down his face, and to allow his heart to be
broken, he found himself slipping off the edge of his recliner onto the floor, lying
prostrate in front of his tv, and crying out to the God who his Grandma had
introduced him to many, many years prior!
As the man began to pray aloud a prayer of repentance, which Bob actually realized
later was Psalm 51, Bob repeated it after him, and suddenly he realized he no longer
needed an "escape"...all he needed was an "encounter"! And he had it, right there,
alone, with just God and the tv!
Later, he mused, "And to think people want to make light of technology!"
Yes, in an instant Bob was transformed inwardly, and his outward countenance took
on the evidence!
When his wife returned from her night out with the Red Hat ladies, he greeted her at
the door with a smile and a kiss...something he had not done in years.
She looked at him inquisitively, and demanded to know what he had been up to.
When he shared his encounter with her, she wept with joy and knew no matter what
had transpired in days gone by, the present was indeed a gift, a present from God to
the man of her dreams!
Bob had found something...Someone, who had been missing from his life! His life
now would never be the same!
His "escape" was now to a secret place! Alone with God!
D. S. Mullis
copyright2016
