The Storm

The sailor had been away from home for such a long time, the very idea of returning home to see his family made immeasurable joy swell up in his heart. As he returned from his last port onto his small sailboat, the journey ahead seemed so much more hopeful. This time he was going home.

As he looked at the horizon, he imagined his return home. He imagined his kids, now much older than when he left, running to him and embracing the return of their father. He imagined his wife, watching from the shore as he pulled into port. And her eyes gleaming just as bright as they always had. He looked down at his compass. "You'll bring me back home" he mumbled to the tiny object that held the pathway to his familiy. "You'll bring me back home"

Days passed as he steered the boat home, but the compass he always kept in hand. He pressed it close to his heart, and he looked on the horizon with all the hope in the world.

But as he was looking on, he felt a little drop of rain fall onto his shoulder. He swiftly turned his head to see the fateful spot of water that rested on his body. He thought at first that it was nothing, only a sprinkle, and continued sailing home.

But the rain soon came down faster, and the wind started to blow. He grabbed hold of the sail to keep it on the course, but the storm soon overpowered him. The rain pelted his body, the wind wrecked havoc on his little sailboat, and the man was frantic with fear. He could not see anything past the rain and storm, and only held dear to his little compass, close to his heart. He felt that if he held onto that, it would be like holding his family. Holding the way back home.

But the storm only got worse. The boat began to dramatically rock back and forth, and the man lost his balance. He held onto the compass with all his might as he fell, but he lost his grip as he hit the floor. He watched as the only thing that held the way to get back to his family, fell from his hand and was lost in the raging sea in front of him.

The storm continued to rage on, but the man lost all the hope he had once been so filled with. The sailor sank down to he bottom of the boat, and curled himself up. The tears ran down his face, because he knew he was lost at sea to die. The compass was the only thing he knew could take him home. He began to think of ways to end the agony quicker. He prayed as hard as he could for God to take his life from him.

He looked over the side of the boat, and saw the dark blue waters. His only thought was to jump now. To end the pain now, and jump into the dark abyss that lay before him. Not one other thought entered his head, as he slowly pressed his weight toward the water. He was going to take his own life.

But he jumped back as a flash of light went across his eyes. He looked around, and saw nothing. He looked again, nothing. He thought it was simply his own mind playing tricks on him. He put the thought behind him and again looked at the water. And again the light flashed! He looked around with more focus, and saw a beacon of light shining repeatedly through the storm. Through the rain, clouds, thunder and lightning, a lighthouse shined in the distance.

The hope that was once in his heart, was once again there. The storm was pushing him towards the shore, to that shining light on the hill! He stood up once again, and thought of his family. Of holding his kids again. The land gradually and gradually got closer until he could swim to shore. He jumped from his boat and swam to the shore. He ran through the sand until he reached the grass, he ran through the grass until he reached the house. His house. The house that for so long he could only go to in his dreams.

He opened the door to his home, and saw his family. His kids ran up to him and jumped on him, as his wife's eyes gleamed, just as he had remembered. He smiled the biggest smile he could and ran and kissed his wife. He held all of them close to his heart, and vowed in the same heart to never again let them go.

As he was holding his family, tears ran from his eyes as he thought of how he had returned home. The wind still blew outside. The rain still poured unbearably. But heard those sounds, he only heard the sound of a friend. He heard the sound of unbelievable love. He heard the sound of the thing that he once hated, but now loved with all his heart. He heard the sound of the love of God. He heard the sound of the storm that had brought him home.