Can the man who is lost be found in time, or will he stay lost forever
The Lost
Forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Colossians 3:13 b
Sam.
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The last day... The thought had been trapped inside David's mind for the past 10 years. Nothing about prison had been good. The food was horrible and so was the smell. Not to mention all the horribly, evil people who were locked up in there. David had shot a man while trying to escape a robbery. He was guilty for that, but no one was as evil and guilty as the other men in the prison.
While he had been in prison he had gained a substantial amount of strength from the exercise equipment the prison provided for the inmates. The inmates used this equipment all the time, it was the only thing they had except writing letters and going for walks to use up their spare time. Because he had no outside family, David had nobody to write to. Walking was ok for him, but he rather build his muscles. As a small child David had wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. David's father, Corporal Benjamin Matthews, was an excellent man; he had served in the army. He served justice where it was needed and gave a helping hand for those in trouble. David had always looked up to his father with great admiration, but since his 14th birthday he hadn't looked up to him.
David had been trapped inside a small cell in the Pentridge prison, with all the hustle and bustle. The dimly lit cell and putrid smell was all he knew for the last ten years of his life. Now that he was going to be out, he could go back to living a normal life like a normal person with some exceptions.
He was out of his small cell. He had been lonely, but had made some friends while locked up. They were all there for different reasons, but all had something in common. They had taken themselves away from the ones that the love through crimes and nothing could fill that space. Now he knew how the family of Adam Marl felt.
He had felt bad about what had happened. He didn't mean it to end that way. He was only going to rob that bank then hightail it out of there. If only the cops hadn't shown up, he wouldn't have had to take a hostage. He wouldn't have panicked. Adam wouldn't have been killed. But that is the past, so don't dwell in it. But for David that was a hard thing to forget and avoid.
***
"But why only such a short time?" Abby Marl asked. She was the wife of Adam Marl the man that David Matthews murdered on that terrible day. She was talking to the man who arrested David on that day, Mike Dulso. Abby had heard a rumor of David's release, and rang Mike to confirm it. After all this time, Abby and her two children still felt the pain of losing Adam. They kept living, the pain of loss dulling over the years. With her youngest at only 9 years and eldest at 11, they had realized what had happened but couldn't understand why. They still asked "why" but they seemed to be no closer to any final answers. Abby still felt as if her heart had been torn apart. She was still trying to face the questions.
Just as she hung up the phone, Cole, the eldest, ran through the doorway with his skate board and headed out the door. Closing the door reminded her that he was going to a friend's place to hang out. And Jason, the youngest, as always complained that he never got to do anything anymore. Adam had always spent 'guy time' with Jason, when Cole went with his friends. She didn't have the connection and felt like she was missing something and sometimes felt like a failure.
They lived out of town on a small property. Adam had called it his 'project' he was going to build a tree house with Jason and Cole, but had never gotten around to it because of David. Abby thought she would never forgive him for taking away her babies' daddy, and her husband. It was only by the grace of God that she could find any strength to forgive David of the destruction he had caused on her family. God had taught her family to love their enemies as themselves; this is what Abby planed to do.
***
David never thought that the bright morning sun would be so welcoming to him. Or the morning air so refreshing. When you spend all your time in the fresh air you don't notice those things. It's different to the smells from the old prison, horrible body odors, boiling food, body waste. Nothing was fresh while you were in prison.
It was Thursday the twenty-eighth of May. David walked down main street Melbourne after renting out a small apartment for him to live in for awhile. Just until he got settled, it wouldn't be long. He hadn't felt so free for a long time. Now all he needed to do was get a job. David didn't know where to start though. The only thing he did know was that he couldn't mess it up. He had to do something that wouldn't get him in trouble; he had to stick to the straight path.
As a child David had always wanted to be an officer in the army. Maybe now was the time to pursue that dream. Although he thought it would nearly be impossible, after his last stunt with the law. He had already been arrested, that might have ruined his chance to serve in the army. He would never know unless he tried, and that was just what he was going to do.
That afternoon David walked into the feds force recruiting agency, as calm as possible. It was different for him; he had never been into a place like this before.
He went to the front desk and asked, "Is it possible for me to join the army?"
The desk clerk replied and told him, "Its dependant on who you are your abilities and Background. Here are some forms that you will have to fill out, and come back when an officer can assist you with any extra questions or inquiries they have for you. But we are always happy to have more help with protecting our country." She smiled and handed him the papers.
***
Mike Dulso had been standing near the reception desk when David entered the room. He had heard David ask about a job and become suspicious of him. It wasn't like an ex-prisoner to come looking for a place in the service. Something had to be up. Now all he had to do was find out what. But first he had to ring Abby and tell her that he had seen David. Just in case...
***
David had it all planned out. He needed to find the family of Adam Marl and apologize to them. It was all he could do. The guilt and pain of what he had done burned at him every day. He couldn't ever forgive himself for it. Not only did he have to apologize to the family of Adam, but he had to tell them something that he had kept to himself. Mr. Marl had said something before he had shot him. The words haunted him every day.
While Adam had been dying on the ground, he had muttered, "Tell my family that I love them and that I will be waiting on the other side for them. And also that I know where I am going, I'm not afraid."
David was just about to finish the forms for the agency when the question, 'Do you have a criminal record?' came up. This was the hard part. David knew he was guilty and knew that there was no way to hide it. So he wrote down a simple, 'Yes, Murder on the 2nd degree.' And that was the last question from the papers. So David closed the papers and slipped them gently into the big yellow envelope, ready to hand in at the front desk the next day.
***
Abby was always ready to hear what Ben had to say. This time she was shocked though. To hear that David Jones had left prison and been to the recruiting agency to get a job was unimaginable. She needed to ask Ben something "Is it possible for him to even be accepted by the police force?"
Ben replied with a simple, "Well, it depends. In his case I would say no, but he might get a chance at it."
***
David passed to and forth in front on the huge wooden fire. He couldn't understand what Adam's last words had meant. Of course to tell his family that he loved them was a reasonable request. But what about the, "tell them I know where I am going, I'm not afraid." David didn't get that part. What wasn't he afraid of? Death? Something bigger than life itself? Nothing that came to David's head seemed right. After all what could be bigger than life? Adam's words puzzled him.
***
As David was about to walk out the door to go shopping, his phone rang. He answered it and was surprised to hear the voice of the receptionist from the recruiting agency on the other end.
"Hello Mr. Matthews. This is Tammie from the recruiting agency. We have received your papers and gone through them. We have checked through them to confirm your answers, and they were all answered correctly. We also have talked to your parole officer; they have said you are fit for the job." There was a slight pause. "We would just like you to come in for a physical, if that would suit you, would you be able to come in now?"
"Yes, that would be fine. I was just heading out the door now. I will be there in about five minutes." David replied.
He didn't particularly like the sound of physicals. But if he had to do one to get the job then so be it. Being poked and prodded didn't appeal to him, but nothing too serious.
***
As David had known, he passed the drug test. He thought badly of the people that used drugs, he found them as depressed, try hards that thought they were too good to get addicted. He had also passed every other test they gave him. So since he had passed this test he was ready for this job, all he had to do was go home for the night and go into the agency in the morning. It was going to be a good day he could feel it.
***
Mrs. Marl was lonely, and out of touch with the world around her. Today she had heard that David Matthews, the man who had killed her husband, had received a job at the recruiting agency. Now she was burdened with the fact this was the man the community would be relying on to keep their country safe. He was a murderer! How could he get the job? Nothing seemed to be making sense.
***
A few days later...
David had now been at his job for the past three days. He had made new friends. He even had his own desk. And there was stuff that he'd never had before. He felt refreshed, as if he had come a long way, although, no one would forgive him for what he had done, neither could he. Now was the time to continue with his plan. He had to talk to Mrs. Marl about what Adam had told him before he died. She probably didn't want to talk to him, he knew she didn't. She wouldn't forgive him nothing was less forgivable than this.
***
He had heard that she lived on the outskirts of town on a small property. Now was the time for him to approach her. The house was the only one out that part of town, so it wasn't going to be hard to find.
Later that day...
David had eventually made his way out to the home of Mrs. Marl. Now that he was in the driveway, watching the children play through the windows, he was overcome with great sadness and regret. He started up the engine to go back out, the last thing this family needed was to see the face of their father's murderer. But as he was reversing, Mrs. Marl, stepped through the door way and looked him straight in the eyes. He couldn't leave now, not now since she had seen him. He turned the ignition off, and got out of the car. Walked over to Mrs. Marl, took off his hat and looked her in the eyes and said.
"Mrs. Marl. My name is David Matthews. I came here to apologize..." He paused. Mrs. Marl was just standing there looking at him. "I came here to apologize to you and your family about my actions. I was the man who killed your husband, it is my fault he is dead, I now realize. And I am entirely sorry for the deed I have committed."
Mrs. Marl stood there, waiting for a period of time. Then replied, "Your apology is accepted, my husband was a great man and didn't deserve to die like that. Did he say anything before he died?"
David was shocked. He thought she wouldn't forgive him, thought she would be screaming at him. In confusion he replied, "Thank-you ma'am. I didn't expect to be forgiven; I am overwhelmed by your grace towards me. I didn't know your husband and what you said about him wouldn't be hard to believe for the word he said before he died were this, 'Tell my family that I love them and that I will be waiting on the other side for them. And also that I know where I am going, I'm not afraid.' I didn't understand the meaning but thought that it would be important to you..." Another pause, as he realized that Mrs. Marl was in tears. "Maybe if you are okay with it, you could explain to me what he meant by saying 'I will be waiting on the other side for them. And also that I know where I am going, I'm not afraid'. What was he saying, I couldn't stop thinking of what it meant for the past 10 years, and would you care to shed some light on the subject? Please."
Mrs. Marl had stopped crying, but the tear stains where still on her cheeks. It was just like Adam to say something like that. With a slight smile she replied. "Yes, I would very much enjoy explaining that to you. And thank-you for telling me what he said. What Adam had meant by saying 'I will be waiting on the other side for them. And also that I know where I am going, I'm not afraid'. Is this, Adam was a Christian, he lived for God. He is going to be waiting for my family in heaven, because we are all Christians and we believe that God has a place for u in heaven. Adam knew where he was going, he knew he was going to heaven to be with God, and he's not afraid of that because he knew that he had sinned, but he had been forgiven with God's grace. When God forgives someone for their sins, God forgets about the sins. But to be forgiven by God you have to admit to Him through prayer that you are a sinner and that you are sorry for the things you have done." She paused, waiting for David to absorb everything she had just said, and then continued. "In the bible, the book Jesus has prepared for us to read it says this, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. This is found in Colossians 3:13 part b. This means, that God has set an example for us to follow, He has forgiven us, now we have to follow in his footsteps and forgive others of the things they have done to us. And David Matthews, I Abby Marl forgive you for killing my husband, like he has forgiven you. And God can forgive you if you just ask him to come into your life and forgive you of all your sins."
***
And later that day David Matthews became a Christian. The Lord Jesus Christ forgave him of his sins. Adam Marl had set an example, so had Abby Marl, but the man who set the greatest example was Jesus, who came down from heaven took on human flesh and died on the cross so all that come after Him and ask Him for forgiveness, they may be forgiven by His blood.
