Chapter 8 Chapter 7 God on the Pier

Mike stood in the bathroom, toweling his face dry, looking at himself in the mirror.Those eyes in the mirror looked straight at him, from which he searched for signs of insanity.is this real?Of course not, it's impossible.But... He stretched out his hand and slowly touched the mirror, maybe it was just an illusion caused by sadness and despair.Maybe it was a dream, he fell asleep somewhere, maybe he was freezing to death in that shed, maybe... Suddenly, a terrible cracking sound woke him from his reverie.The sound came from the direction of the kitchen, and Mike was stunned.For a moment, there was a dead silence, and then, quite unexpectedly, he heard a burst of loud laughter.Out of curiosity, he walked out of the bathroom and looked in from the kitchen door.

Mike was stunned by the scene before him.It looks like Jesus accidentally knocked the big guy who had been holding some kind of batter or sauce to the ground, and it splattered everywhere.The big guy must have fallen close to Papa, because the hem of her dress and her bare feet were covered in goo.The three were laughing so wildly that Mike thought they couldn't breathe.Sarayu said something clumsy, and the three of them laughed again.Enough of laughing, Jesus walked past Mike, and after a while, he took a towel and came back with a large basin of water.Sarayu was already mopping the floor and cupboards for splashes, and Jesus walked right up to Papa, knelt down at her feet, and wiped the stained front of her clothes, then her feet, and at one point he put Gently lift one foot and put it directly into the basin for cleaning and massage.

"Oh, oh, it feels so good." "Father" sighed loudly, and then went to work on the operating table. Mike leaned against the door, watching with cold eyes, full of thoughts.Is this how God communicates?So beautiful, so touching!He knew they didn't care whose fault it was - spills from shattered bowls were messy, dishes that were meant to be made didn't go together.Clearly, what is really important here is the love for each other and the fulfillment they bring to each other.He shook his head.How differently he treats his loved ones! Dinner is simple, but still a feast.Poultry with some kind of orange salsa or mango salsa.Fresh veggies seasoned with god-knows-what flavors of fruit, ginger, pepper, and some sort of tang.Mike has never eaten rice with such a good taste, and rice alone can be counted as a meal.The only embarrassing part was at the beginning, Mike, out of habit, ate alone, forgetting where he was.When he raised his head, he found that all three of them were smiling at him.So, as nonchalantly as possible, he asked, "Oh, thank you... May I have some rice?"

"Of course. We wanted to serve it with a wonderful Japanese sauce, but someone over there has slippery hands." "Papa" nodded to Jesus, "just to try to see if the sauce bowl will come out of the hands." Jump up." "Come on, come on," Jesus said mockingly. "My hands are too slippery. What else can I say?" "Daddy" handed the rice to Mike and winked at him: "There will only be people who will do you a disservice here." Everyone laughed. The content of the conversation is really ordinary.With the exception of Messi, they asked Mike about each of his children and he talked about their efforts and successes.When he said that he was full of worries about Kate, the three of them just listened and nodded with concern, without offering any advice or advice.He also answered questions about his friends.Sarayu asked about Nan's situation, and she seemed to be particularly interested in Nan.Finally, without thinking, Mike said something that had puzzled him throughout the conversation.

"Now I'm here to tell you about my kids, my friends and Nan, but you already know everything I've told you, am I right? You're acting like you're hearing it for the first time .” Sarayu reached out from across the table and grabbed Mike's hand. "Mackenzie, remember our conversation about limitations earlier?" "Our talk?" He looked in Papa's direction, who nodded knowingly. "If you can't share with one of us, you can't share with three of us." Sarayu said with a smile, "Remember, choosing to stay on the ground is a choice that helps build relationships. Choose. Mackenzie, you can do it yourself. You don't play games with your kids and color in pictures to show your superiority. You should choose to limit yourself to promote and respect that relationship. You may Out of a disadvantage. It's not about winning or losing, it's about love and respect."

"Is it the same when I tell the story of my child?" "We have limited ourselves out of respect for you. It can be said that what we know about your children has not come to our minds just now. When we listen to you, it is as if we are hearing about them for the first time. We It would be nice to meet them through your eyes." "I like it," Mike said, leaning back in his chair. Sarayu shook Mike's hand and leaned back too. "Me too. Relationships have nothing to do with power, and one way to avoid the will to power is to choose to limit yourself - to be of service to others. This is what people do all the time - compassion for the infirm, service to the wandering, friendliness to the poor Get along, respect the old and the young, and even take care of others who seem to be above them."

"Sarayu, well said." "Father" said, his face glowing with pride, "I'll clean up the dishes later. But I want to take a moment to pray." Mike tried to suppress a snicker at the thought of God praying too.Images of family prayers from childhood came to mind, not exactly fond memories.It was often a tedious exercise in finding the right answers, or more precisely, the same old answers to the same old questions in the Bible stories, and all he had to do was not let himself fall asleep in the middle of his father's long prayers. past.And while the father is drinking, family prayers become a frightening minefield where any wrong answer or casual glance can set off a minefield.He was expecting Jesus to bring out a big old King James Bible.

Jesus did not go to get the Bible, but stretched his hand to the other side of the table and held the hands of "Papa". The scars on his wrists were clearly visible.Mike sat dumbfounded and saw Jesus kissing "Papa"'s hand and staring at her affectionately.Jesus concluded by saying, "Father, I admire what you've done today—you've brought Mike's pain into yourself very effectively, and then you've given him the opportunity to choose. You respect him, and you respect him. Me. It was unbelievable to hear you whispering and bringing love and peace into his heart. What a joy to witness! I love being your son."

Although Mike felt like an unexpected visitor, no one else seemed to care, and he really didn't know what to do next.Hearing and seeing this expression of love seemed to unclog the emotions that had been silted up for a long time, and even though he didn't really understand what he was seeing, it felt very good.What is he witnessing?Something simple and warm and intimate and real, which is divine.Sacredness was an indifferent and empty concept to him before, but it is completely different here.Because he was worried that any action he made would disturb this moment, he closed his eyes tightly, put his hands together in front of him, and focused on the hall.He heard Jesus move the chair.After a pause, Jesus spoke in a gentle and soft tone: "Sarayu, you wash, and I will dry it."

Mike opened his eyes suddenly, just in time to see the two smiling faces, packing up the dishes and entering the kitchen together.He sat for a while, not sure what to do. "Papa" went somewhere, and the other two were busy washing the dishes...well, pick the easy ones.He collected the printed cutlery and glasses and headed for the kitchen.He had just put the things down for Sara to wash when Jesus threw a dish towel over and they dried the dishes together. Sarayu began to hum the emotional song that Mike had heard "Daddy" hum earlier, while Jesus and Mike just listened.This song touched Mike deeply last time, and now it knocked on the door of his heart again.He felt like he was singing in Gaelic (Irish's ancient language, whose colloquial language has disappeared), and he could almost hear the bagpipes accompanying it.It's hard for Mike to just sit there and let the emotion pour out, but he's completely captive to this track.If he could listen to her sing all the time, he would be willing to spend the rest of his life washing dishes.

Ten minutes later, they finished washing the dishes.Jesus kissed Sarayu on the cheek, and she turned the corner.Then, he turned to Mike and smiled, "Let's go to the pier to look at the stars." "What about them?" Mike asked. Jesus replied, "I am here, I have always been here." Mike nodded. The idea of ​​God's Presence, difficult as it was to understand, was irresistibly penetrating his mind and seeping into his heart.He just had to let it go. "Come on." Jesus interrupted Mike's thoughts, "I know you like to look at the stars. Want to see them?" He said this with childish anticipation. "Yes, I want to see it," Mike replied, remembering that the last time he saw the stars was with the kids on that unfortunate camping trip.At this point, it may be time to take a risk. He followed Jesus out the back door.In the fading light of the evening, he could just make out that the rocky shore was not the weedy one he remembered, but a carefully cultivated and picturesque scene.The nearby brook was humming something.A pier went about fifty feet into the lake.Mike vaguely saw three canoes tethered staggered along the pier.The night fell quickly, and the night in the distance was already very thick, and the chirping of crickets and bullfrogs rang together.Mike's eyes hadn't quite adjusted to the dark, so Jesus took his arm and led him up the path.However, Mike was already looking up at the moonless night sky, the spectacle of stars first appearing. They groped their way onto the pier and lay down on their backs.The altitude here makes the sky more vast, and Mike is intoxicated by the vast and clear stars in front of him.Jesus suggested closing your eyes for a few minutes, allowing the last bit of twilight to be completely swallowed up by night.Mike did so.When he opened his eyes, the vision of the night sky was so powerful that within seconds he was dizzy.He felt that he was already in the universe, and thousands of stars were running towards him as if they wanted to embrace him.He raised his hands, imagining that he could reach out to the black velvet sky and pluck diamonds from it. "Oops!" he yelled softly. "Unbelievable!" Jesus whispered, his head close to Mike in the dark. "I never get tired of looking at the stars." "Even if you created it?" Mike asked. "I created the sky according to the Holy Word before the Holy Word became flesh. So even though I created it, I am viewing it now in a human body. I have to say, this is too impressive!" "That's true." Mike didn't know how to describe his feelings.But as they continued to lie silently watching and listening to the heavenly show, he understood that it was also full of holiness.As they admired the awe-inspiring spectacle, every now and then someone would yell, "Did you see that? It's amazing!" After a long silence, Mike said, "I feel more comfortable with you. You seem to be different from them." "Not the same, what do you mean?" Jesus' gentle voice came from the darkness. Mike thought about it. "More real, or closer, I can't say." He struggled for the right words.Jesus lay quietly, waiting. "It's like deja vu. But, 'Papa' is not at all what I expected God to look like, and Sarayu is also unusual." Jesus chuckled softly in the dark. "First of all, because I'm human, we have a lot in common." "But I still don't understand..." "I'm the human being's best connection to 'Papa' and Sarayu. To see me is to see them. The love you feel from me is no different from the love they have for you. Although you feel very different, Believe me, 'Poppa' and Sarayu are as real as I am." "Is Sara Yu the Holy Spirit?" "Yes, she is creativity, she is action, she is the breath of life, she has more attributes. She is my soul." "What about the name Sarayu?" "That's just a common name in one of our human languages. It means 'wind,' just a common wind. She likes the name." Mike muttered, "Well, she's not ordinary at all!" "Indeed it is," Jesus replied. "And that name 'Papa' mentioned, Elo...El..." "El Ocia." A respectful voice came from the darkness around him. "That's a magical name. 'El' is the name of God, who is my creator, but 'Ocia' means 'survive' or 'totally real.' So the name means completely real and as everything God of Creation, the basis of existence. That's a nice name, too." There was another long silence as Mike savored Jesus' words. "So, where are we?" He felt like he was asking the question for the entire human race. "Right where we always wanted you to be, right in the middle of our love and purpose." Mike paused again, then said, "I think I can live with that place." Jesus smiled slightly, "I'm glad to hear that." The two laughed together.For a while neither of them spoke.The silence was like a blanket, and Mike could only hear the sound of the lake lapping gently on the pier.Finally, he finally broke the silence: "Jesus?" "Mackenzie?" "There's one thing that surprises me about you." "Really? What is it?" "I guess I expected more from you..." He reminded himself: Be careful when you say that, Mike. "Uh... oh, the charm of people." Jesus laughed lightly. "Charm? You mean good-looking?" He laughed. "Well, I hate to say it, but here's what I mean. Somehow, I think you're supposed to be perfect: a strong physique and convincing good looks." "Is there something wrong with my nose?" Mike didn't know what to say. Jesus smiled. "You know, I'm Jewish. My grandfather had a big nose. Actually, most of the men on my mother's side have big noses." "I just thought you should look better." "By whose standard? Anyway, when you really know me, it doesn't matter." Despite its friendly tone, it can still sting.Where did it hurt?Mike lay there for a few seconds.Realizing that he'd always thought he knew Jesus, but maybe he didn't... didn't really.Perhaps all he knew was an icon, an ideal, an image through which he was trying to grasp a sense of piety—not a real person. "Why do you say that?" he finally asked, "You said that if I really knew you, I wouldn't mind what you look like..." "It's really simple. Essence always trumps appearance, and appearance is only appearance. Once you start to recognize the essence behind the beauty and ugliness judged by your stereotypes, the appearance gradually fades until it doesn't matter. That's Egypt. The reason for what an amazing name El Osia is. God is the ground of all existence, God is the ground of all existence for all things that will eventually be true, God dwells in all things that will eventually be true, Surrounded by all around, and accompanied by the whole process, any appearance that conceals the truth will lose its meaning." Then there was silence again, as Mike racked his brains over what Jesus had said.After only a minute or two, he gave up and decided to ask more adventurous questions. "You say I don't really know you, and it would be easier if we could always talk like this." "It's really special to talk like this, Mike. You're really stuck, and we want to help you out of the pain. But don't think that my relationship lacks authenticity because I'm invisible to you. It's a different situation, Maybe even more real." "how come?" "My goal from the beginning is that I stay in you and you stay in me." "Wait, wait. How is that possible? If you are still fully human, how can you dwell on me?" "Amazing, isn't it? This is the miracle of 'Papa'. This is the power of Sarayu. This is my spirit, the spirit of God who restores the long-lost unity. As for me, I choose every day I live like a man all the time. I'm fully God, but I'm fully human. Like I said, it's a miracle of 'Papa'." Mike lay in the dark, listening intently. "You're not talking about real residency, are you theological, not just positional?" "Of course," Jesus replied, his tone firm. "This is where everything belongs. Man, formed from a tangible, material creation, can once again reside fully in the spiritual life—my life. This requires a very real , dynamic and proactive combination.” "It's unbelievable!" Mike whispered. "I still don't understand it. I need to think about it. However, I may have more questions to ask." Jesus smiled slightly and said, "We'll spend your whole life sorting out those issues, but enough has been said for now. Let's indulge in the starry night sky again." In the ensuing silence, Mike just lay quietly, allowing himself to appear smaller and smaller in the vast sky and the flashes of stars, allowing his perception to be occupied by starlight.And what he's thinking now is: it's all about him...it's about humans...all this is for us.It seemed a long time before Jesus broke the silence. "I never tire of looking at the stars. All that wonder - what one of my brothers called 'creative excess' is still beautiful to this day, full of wistfulness and mystery." "You know..." Mike replied, he suddenly had a strong sense of the absurdity of the situation: where he was now, and the person beside him. "Sometimes your words sound so... I mean, I'm lying here with Almighty God, but you really sound like..." "Like a human?" Jesus said what he wanted to say. "But he looks ugly." He laughed and cried. At first, his laughter was soft and restrained, but with a few snorts, he laughed out loud.The laughter was so contagious that Mike could see that it was passing somewhere deep inside him that hadn't laughed in ages.Jesus leaned forward to embrace him, trembling with fits of laughter, and Mike felt more open and alive and healthy than he had been in some time—well, he couldn't remember since—before. They calmed down at last, and the night asserted its silence again.It seemed that even the frogs had stopped chattering.Mike lay there, aware that at this moment he felt guilty about being happy and laughing.Even in the dark, he could feel the "great grief" rolling over him. "Jesus?" he whispered, his throat choked. "I feel really lost." A hand reached out and held his hand tightly, refusing to let go. "I get it, Mike, but it's not true. I'm with you, and I'm not lost. I'm really sorry you feel that way, but listen carefully: you're not lost." "I hope you're right," Mike said.Listening to his newfound friend eased his anxiety. "Come on." Jesus said, stood up, and stretched out his hand to pull Mike, "You still have a lot of things to do tomorrow, let's go, and send you to sleep." He put his arm around Mike's shoulders, and they walked toward the cabin together.Mike suddenly felt tired.It's been a long day today.Maybe he'd wake up in his own bed at home after a night of colorful dreams drifting away, but deep down he didn't want that.