BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE PT. 7

continued from part 6

Bodie’s response to Rue was not what she had expected.

Rue’s thoughts drowned Bodie’s prayer out as she reevaluated how she got to where she was in her life, that very moment in time:

When Marlon passed, Rue despised the consuming power grief held over her life. As time passed, it became her new norm; a coping mechanism that kept boundaries around her life. This allowed her to comfortably accept the year long platonic friendship she had with Lavelle. Their friendship worked perfectly because he was a good companion whenever she felt like going out, and a simple breath of fresh air when she needed someone to talk to on nights she was finding it difficult  to fall asleep. All had been great between the both of them, up until the prior evening when he abruptly ended their friendship.

Rue shook her head out of disgust as she thought: Out of all the men I agreed to be friends with, he would end up being one of Bodie’s relatives! Well, at least Bodie came over tonight to tell me what he had done…come to think about it, everything worked out for the best…

And just like that, Rue no longer desired to push Bodie away anymore. She cleared her mind, humbled her spirit and began listening intently to him interceding on her behalf.  As she listened to him cry out to God, every wall she had put up to shield her heart, mind, and soul dissipated.

Rue was tired of pretending that she wasn’t miserable. She was tired of running and ready for a change.

She was tired of crying herself to sleep and being unhappy with life. What she had been doing and how she had been living had not kept her late husband Marlon’s memories alive. Instead, it was choking the life out of her. All of this was a direct result of her refusal to release the past, which held her captive for far too long. Rue was now ready to take her life back; re-establishing a relationship with God was the first step she intended to take in an effort of getting back on track.  Secondly, she decided that she was done pushing Bodie away.

This was the pivotal point that changed the trajectory of Rue’s life.

Many years later as Rue sat outside on the deck of her home with Naima and her in-laws, she watched with admiration the loving interaction her husband had with their children as he gave them instructions before allowing them to run off and play. She soaked in her surroundings and felt a great sense of peace.

Bodie looked over at Rue, smiled and mouthed: I Love You. Rue smiled back at him and mouthed: I Love You too. He stood up and walked over to her, then sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him, closed her eyes and whispered within her spirit: thank you God for turning my mourning into dancing and for giving me beauty for ashes…

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

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BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE PT. 6

Continued from part 5 in this short story series.

Rue looked down at Bodie, inhaled and spoke her truth: “Bodie… You remind me of the most painful and happiest times in my life from two of my past relationships. The man who hurt me was prestigious and lived an elite lifestyle, so I experienced firsthand everything that came with dating a person of that caliber. The level of toxicity I experienced and endured from him is the reason a part of me opposes you…”

“I vowed to never allow myself to endure anything like that ever again, which is why I have stayed far away from you. On the other hand, there’s a part of me that’s intrigued by you… drawn to your characteristics…mannerisms and ways because you remind me so much of Marlon. My pain is what took Marlon and me from best friends to a couple. Happiness…that’s what he gave me and what I experienced in such a way I never felt before, until my life with him.”

Rue continued, “You stir up emotions within me and triggered memories I haven’t had to face alone, until now.  Everything I have ever dealt with in my life….both good and bad… I faced it with Marlon.  He and I were best friends! In the midst of my pain, he saw the woman I would become before I became her….” Rue sighed and said to Bodie, “I cannot allow you to replace him!”

And just like that, a weight felt as if it had been lifted from Rue’s heart. She was initially met with silence and then he spoke two words to her she didn’t expect to hear him say: “I’m sorry.” Rue looked into Bodie’s saddened eyes as he gently squeezed her hands and said: “Rue I’m sorry for the pain you endured at the hands of a man who used his status to inflict harm on your soul. I’m sorry he felt more empowered by mishandling your heart and left you to pick up the pieces of the pain he caused you.”

Bodie continued, “I’m sorry that your husband, who was your pillar, died and left you to navigate life alone…I’m sorry  you are in a place of pain right now where you feel that I want to remove all traces of your late husband and replace him. I’m sorry that the pain you feel is so deep until any and everything I say to you…my truth…doesn’t sound sincere to you. Rue…I so badly want to take your pain away, but the truth is…I can’t. I can walk with you through it…encourage and assist you every step of the way but the task of taking your pain away is too great for me. As much as I want you to see me for who I am. As much as I want you to see my heart, I know that right now…it is impossible.”

“You must completely heal from your pain before I can present myself to you and the only person who can heal you is God.”

“Everything’s going to be okay Rue and if you will allow me to…I will walk with you through this journey in whatever capacity God sees fit to use me within your life.  I will be whatever it is God says you need me to be throughout this healing process because Rue I want to marry you. I want to raise a family with you and live a loving, happy life with you ‘til death do us part.”

Rue was fighting hard to contain her emotions and just as she was about to ask Bodie to get up from off of his knees and go home, he stood up and said to her: “Rue…I’m going to pray over you right now okay…” She nodded her head yes, but the inner voice was screaming at her to send him home! For some reason she couldn’t formulate the words. As she listened to every request Bodie asked God on her behalf, she felt a peace come over her. Rue wondered why she felt comfortable living a life of memories; she then asked herself what was so happy and fulfilling about living a life of grief?

Bodie’s heart of concern made her feel safe; it made her feel that she could stop running from both him and God.

TO BE CONTINUE...