Anatomy of Evil Read Online Free Page A
was totally in character. She reached out and hugged him. It was a quick embrace, a solid squeeze and then she sprung back with a grin.
âSafe travels,â she said.
Gary left the store with his bag of lures. On his way out, he couldnât resist looking in through the window at her and feeling pride, remembering when she had started working for him as a goofy young girl with little retail experience and bouts of self-doubt. Her growth in confidence and professionalism was a joy to watch unfold. It brought out a wonderful lift in feelings that hearkened back to his playing days and could be summed up in a single word. Victory.
Chapter Five
In total darkness, Sam Green conducted his dialogue with God. The absence of the physical world enabled him to fully immerse himself in the spiritual. A towel covered his bedroom alarm clock, erasing the big red digital readout. No light escaped from under the door or behind the blinds.
âLord, creator and redeemer of all the faithful, please give me the strength I need to heal this heart and overcome the loss of my beloved Susanna. I am weighed down by sorrow and despair but I have not fallen. It has been one month since Susanna left this earth to be with you and your son. She has transcended this earth but her absence leaves a wound that runs deep. I know everything is part of your plan and entrust her to you, Lord. Please watch over her and one day we shall be reunited in your kingdom, amen.â
Sam leaned over and kissed the side of the bed where Susanna once rested, not only every night for sleep, but in the final hours of her struggle with cancer.
This was the most difficult time of each day: returning to the bed they shared for 26 years and experiencing her loss like a fresh cut.
He kept the doubt and confusion out of his prayers, but like a pest, the feelings poked inside his head, especially at night, when he was alone and most entangled with his thoughts.
Why did God allow her to die?
Susanna was everything that defined a good and gentle soul, devoted, charitable, loving, never hurtful or harmful, and adored by all who knew her. She inspired others to be better people.
Yet an imperfection of the flesh, disease, struck her down. Why would God allow such a flaw, something as insidious as cancer, to enter his creations? Why Susanna of all people? Why did others, who openly led lives of sin, escape harm and retribution in the physical world? Did evil go unpunished? Was good not a means to an end?
Every night, the same questions surfaced and every night, Sam fought back the doubt and retained his faith.
If Satan was the one prompting these bitter feelings of distrust and despair, he would not succeed.
âI am stronger,â said Sam out loud, his prayer complete. He prepared for bed. He forced his thoughts forward.
He knew that leaving this house and its deeply etched memories, even for a short while, would do wonders for his soul. Tomorrow, he was leaving on vacation with a group of friends to visit one of Godâs natural wonders, a faraway atoll known as Kiritimati Island. Kiritimati was the local spelling for the word Christmas. A British navigator discovered the island on Christâs birthday.
Being surrounded by friends and sea would provide an ideal environment for healing. The islandâs warmth and beauty would reinforce in him the splendor of Godâs world.
Earlier that week, he had told his confirmation students about the pending trip. A substitute would take his place the following week. He regretted missing even one session with them, a blossoming group of seventh and eighth graders preparing for the most important event of their Christianity, a coming of age in faith. This was a delicate turning point in their lives, choosing the right path with commitment and an understanding of the history of the church, its rituals and scriptures.
Sam felt closeness with his students and responsibility for their upbringing, a relationship
âSafe travels,â she said.
Gary left the store with his bag of lures. On his way out, he couldnât resist looking in through the window at her and feeling pride, remembering when she had started working for him as a goofy young girl with little retail experience and bouts of self-doubt. Her growth in confidence and professionalism was a joy to watch unfold. It brought out a wonderful lift in feelings that hearkened back to his playing days and could be summed up in a single word. Victory.
Chapter Five
In total darkness, Sam Green conducted his dialogue with God. The absence of the physical world enabled him to fully immerse himself in the spiritual. A towel covered his bedroom alarm clock, erasing the big red digital readout. No light escaped from under the door or behind the blinds.
âLord, creator and redeemer of all the faithful, please give me the strength I need to heal this heart and overcome the loss of my beloved Susanna. I am weighed down by sorrow and despair but I have not fallen. It has been one month since Susanna left this earth to be with you and your son. She has transcended this earth but her absence leaves a wound that runs deep. I know everything is part of your plan and entrust her to you, Lord. Please watch over her and one day we shall be reunited in your kingdom, amen.â
Sam leaned over and kissed the side of the bed where Susanna once rested, not only every night for sleep, but in the final hours of her struggle with cancer.
This was the most difficult time of each day: returning to the bed they shared for 26 years and experiencing her loss like a fresh cut.
He kept the doubt and confusion out of his prayers, but like a pest, the feelings poked inside his head, especially at night, when he was alone and most entangled with his thoughts.
Why did God allow her to die?
Susanna was everything that defined a good and gentle soul, devoted, charitable, loving, never hurtful or harmful, and adored by all who knew her. She inspired others to be better people.
Yet an imperfection of the flesh, disease, struck her down. Why would God allow such a flaw, something as insidious as cancer, to enter his creations? Why Susanna of all people? Why did others, who openly led lives of sin, escape harm and retribution in the physical world? Did evil go unpunished? Was good not a means to an end?
Every night, the same questions surfaced and every night, Sam fought back the doubt and retained his faith.
If Satan was the one prompting these bitter feelings of distrust and despair, he would not succeed.
âI am stronger,â said Sam out loud, his prayer complete. He prepared for bed. He forced his thoughts forward.
He knew that leaving this house and its deeply etched memories, even for a short while, would do wonders for his soul. Tomorrow, he was leaving on vacation with a group of friends to visit one of Godâs natural wonders, a faraway atoll known as Kiritimati Island. Kiritimati was the local spelling for the word Christmas. A British navigator discovered the island on Christâs birthday.
Being surrounded by friends and sea would provide an ideal environment for healing. The islandâs warmth and beauty would reinforce in him the splendor of Godâs world.
Earlier that week, he had told his confirmation students about the pending trip. A substitute would take his place the following week. He regretted missing even one session with them, a blossoming group of seventh and eighth graders preparing for the most important event of their Christianity, a coming of age in faith. This was a delicate turning point in their lives, choosing the right path with commitment and an understanding of the history of the church, its rituals and scriptures.
Sam felt closeness with his students and responsibility for their upbringing, a relationship
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