WEB NOVEL: SET APART

ABRIELLE

Once I finished with my passenger, I quickly went to checkpoint two, hoping to see Jeremiah. As I walked past the lane leading inside, I placed my bag on the belt. The line for the bag on the belt was long, so I went through the scanner first. When I entered the gate, I stood and waited for my bag to come through. Looking around, I saw Jeremiah standing just inches away from me, observing the people coming in. I greeted him, and we exchanged hellos. It was surreal to be talking to him at that moment, as all these thoughts that had been running through my mind were now becoming real. Jeremiah smiled back at me and responded with a greeting. I started the conversation by asking how he was doing, as I didn’t know what else to say – talking to him made me nervous.

He was standing in front of me, and my thoughts were racing. I felt the time pressure – I needed to leave immediately once my bag came through. Quickly, I thought of a topic to discuss with him briefly. “You know, I just came from the new immigration building. It looks incredibly spacious, but it was hot!” I told Jeremiah. “I heard about it, and you know what they say, they are still working on the heating, so it gets really cold in the area,” he responded. “I’m sure they’ll install AC and heating there soon,” I added. When I saw my bag coming, I informed Jeremiah that my bag had arrived and I needed to go. As I looked into his eyes, I remembered the first time I had gazed deeply into them. They hadn’t changed. It was like a beautiful gazelle staring back at me, but I saw his smile this time. I praised God for creating such a beautiful soul.

It’s happening again. Everything seemed to slow down as I looked at him. I blinked and saw him looking back at me. I smiled and gestured that I had to leave. I exited the checkpoint area and immediately called Charity. I told her about my recent encounter with Jeremiah. Charity listened to my story, but then there was silence. I heard her sigh in the background.

“Abrielle, to be honest, I’m happy that you’ve finally made friends with Jeremiah. Well, not really friends, but at least acquaintances. Please know that I am genuinely happy, but as your best friend and a sister in Christ, I’d like to remind you of what God said in Acts 20:24. Let me get my Bible… Here it is. It says, ‘However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.’

Abrielle, falling in love is a beautiful thing. It’s a gift from God because God is love. We love because He first loved us, right? However, remember the good race the Lord has set you on just because you’re in love with a man. Always prioritize Jesus as your goal, pursuing what He wants you to accomplish. Pursue God, not man, even if it’s Jeremiah. I hope you won’t have hard feelings because of what I’ve said. As your trusted friend, like what Paul said to the elders of the Church in Ephesus, “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.” I love you, Bestie. Continue to be set apart from this worldly pursuit.”

Charity shared a heartfelt message that made me question my current happiness. I felt genuinely unfair about feeling this way, as I believe that Jesus should be the only source of joy in my heart. He should have my full attention, not Jeremiah. This experience made me realize how weak humans can be. When I responded to Charity, I thanked her for her advice and said goodbye. I could tell that my unexpected response had upset her. After hanging up, I put my phone in my bag and continued walking, unsure where to go. I let my feet lead me and found myself in the prayer room.

JEREMIAH

“Hey, sleepyhead, do you want to clock out? Mendoza is looking for a volunteer to go home. It’s not busy today, and I’m down for it,” Eden offered enthusiastically. I glanced at my watch. It’s only 4 pm. I’ve only worked for five hours today. That’s okay, as many holidays are coming up, and I’ll make up my hours then. “Okay, I’ll call it a night then,” I replied to Eden. She went to our lead officer, Mendoza, to inform him that we were clocking out. Eden gestured for me to wait for her and some of our friends so we could all go to the employee bus. It’s still early, and I thought about the recently-read book. I got hooked reading “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis and would like to read another book by him. I researched some of his books and checked the reviews.

I have never been this excited while reading a book. Lately, I’ve been watching fewer movies and TV series and spending more time reading. It feels like a new interest that’s been sparked within me. I’m considering buying a bookshelf from the furniture store or visiting a bookstore to pick up my next read. I’m lost in thought, debating where to go.

“Jeremiah, why are you still standing there? Come on, man!” Eden yelled. It was only Eden, Elijah, and me. Jacob planned to stay for the night. We all walked to the employee bus station. “Are you guys going home right away?” Elijah asked us. Eden agreed because she said she was tired. I told Elijah I might visit a bookstore to check out some books. Elijah wanted to come as well and get bubble tea afterward. Sounds cool to me. Once we arrived at the employee parking, we headed to the bookstore. I was amazed by all the books about God. I read the summary, and it has different ways to help someone with their life and heart issues. Once I found the books I liked, I paid for them instantly. Then, Elijah and I went to the nearest Bubble tea place. It was not too crowded on a weekday, and the place had a cozy vibe and soft music. This time, I decided to order a coffee cream. Since it’s my day off tomorrow, I’m planning to stay up late to read the book I got. I have never been so excited to read a book like this before. While we were sitting down, Elijah and I were discussing work issues when suddenly, he opened up about his personal life. He said that there was a girl he liked. He tried to change things in his life and worked on his attitude because of the girl’s influence. However, he found out that the girl was unsure about him one day and decided to let him go.

He mentioned that coming to work was difficult, but he didn’t want his emotions to get in the way because of his feelings for the girl. I wasn’t sure how to advise him since I had never liked another girl. At that time, my priorities focused on work, family, and friends, but now they have shifted to my journey of getting to know God and the Bible.

“Elijah, to be honest, I don’t have experience with loving a woman, but I recently read a commentary in one of the books I’m reading, and it mentioned a scripture in the Bible about the character a king must have. Let me research it so I can give you the right information,” I explained.

After researching, I found the scripture in Proverbs 31:3. “So, Elijah, it says here in Proverbs, ‘do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.’ Do you understand what that means?” I asked Elijah.

“Jeremiah, I kind of get what it means, but help me understand more,” Elijah asked me. “Okay, do you know the story of Samson and Delilah?” I asked him. He responded that he had heard about the familiar names, but the story was unknown to him. “Alright, just to summarize: God had gifted Samson with strength since he was young. God used this physical strength through his hair. Samson was not supposed to come near razors or anything that would cut his hair because God set rules for him. However, slowly, Samson broke those rules. What’s worse, he got involved with a woman he wasn’t supposed to have a relationship with. Samson knew it was forbidden initially, but he still crossed the line. He revealed all his secrets to Delilah, and as a result, she betrayed him. Delilah told all of Samson’s secrets to his enemies and then cut off his hair. Due to this, Samson lost the gift of strength that God had bestowed upon him.” I explained the story.

“Wow! That’s something else!” Elijah commented. I told Elijah that protecting his heart would save him from a big heartache. Changing his character for someone else will not satisfy his heart, not even the woman Elijah fell in love with. I want to share Jesus with him, saying that he needs to seek God and pray to Him so God will direct him to the right woman, but I don’t want to sound too pushy. “Elijah, even though I don’t have any experience with what you’re going through, know that God is there to fix things for you. I mean, talk to God, bro. He will surely give you a girl that will accept you for who you are. Change of self is good, but it’s only genuinely possible if God works it out,” I added.

We discussed a few things before ending our conversation. I feel sorry for Elijah about the heart issues he is dealing with, which also affects him at work. I pray that God will provide him with the answers to all his questions. Falling in love is a beautiful thing, but it’s also risky. Falling in love with someone God did not match for you will ultimately break you. When we choose to be with people without God’s consent, it will lead us to the wrong path, and we might end up like Samson. He disobeyed God’s rules and suffered ten times the pain. Let’s learn from Samson’s story. Before following our heart’s desires, we must ask ourselves, “Will it bring me peace from God and make me more submissive to Him, or will it bring me temporary happiness through flesh, but it is weak?”