“The Lord says in I Corinthians that ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong.’
“But what kind of love on Earth reaches those high standards? Human love will always fail. Husbands will disappoint their wives, neighbors will disappoint neighbors, and children will often disappoint their parents. But the love God has for us will never disappoint. And even when we fail God, He’s always there waiting for us to return to Him with open arms.”
The words of Pastor Reynolds cut deep into Roy’s soul. He thought about all the times he had disappointed his father by failing to live up to his standards, and likewise, all the times his father had disappointed him by failing to understand his perspective.
But those disappointments with one another did not mean that they did not love each other. It meant that they were human, and human love would always fail.For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God—Roy remembered that passage, one that his father used often in his sermons.
But God’s love had never left him. Even when his frustration with his father and his community caused him to abandon God, He was still with him. God was there with Roy in Wheats Ridge, even though he had traveled all that way to run away from Him.
Roy was so deep in this reflection that he didn’t notice when the closing prayer had ended, and people began filing out of the church, until he heard his name.
“Roy Burns, is that you?” A stocky woman who looked to be about middle age stood at the end of his pew with a man he assumed to be her husband, also stocky but slightly taller, wearing a suit that was a bit too tight around the middle.
“Yes ma’am,” Roy stood up quickly, holding out his hand to shake both of theirs.
“Well, I’ll be!” the woman exclaimed. “It has been quite some time since we have seen you. My, have you grown up! We were all so sad about your father’s death, you know.”
Roy nodded and subconsciously tugged at the collar of his shirt, already overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of attention, as more people crowded around the woman. Her voice was robust enough to attract a crowd and more people came to listen in curiosity.
“Tell us, son,” her husband chimed in. “Are you back to take your father’s place, to become our pastor?”
“I—” Roy started, but before he had the chance to explain himself, a different woman’s voice piped up.
“I bet he is! I saw him earlier this week, working on the church. When do you think it might be ready? It will be so nice to go to church in our own town again. These weekly travels to Magnolia Grove are quite cumbersome.”
“Yes, I am fixing up the church, but—” Roy tried again.
“Susan, you must remember, this young man left town and has been living in Wheats Ridge,” said a tall, gangly man with a stern expression. “It’s doubtful that he’s here to be our new pastor unless he’s since come back to the Lord. Have you, son?” The man looked Roy up and down as if he was trying to form his own judgment.
The crowd of expectant faces waiting to hear an official statement from him all blended together until they were indistinguishable from one another, and Roy began to feel hot and dizzy, as if the room were suffocating him.
“Excuse me,” he mumbled, swiftly turning the other direction, walking the long way through the pew and exiting out the side door, leaving the crowd of people scratching their heads and looking at one another in confusion.
As soon as he was outside, Roy furiously shook off his suit jacket and leaned his forearm against the side wall of the church, resting his forehead on his arm. He didn’t notice how long he stayed there, trying to regain control of his breathing, when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. It was Cora.
“You came,” Cora said, giving him a small smile. Roy just shook his head. Seeing Cora brought him both comfort and sadness, as he felt he had let her down.
“Yeah but… I shouldn’t have.”
Cora’s eyebrows pressed inward with a concerned expression, and she placed her hand gently on his arm. He could feel his body start to relax, but just slightly. “Why do you say that? What happened?”
“There’s a reason why I left in the first place, Cora,” Roy said with a sharper tongue that he intended. “I couldn’t deal with the expectations that came with being a pastor’s son—not just from my father, but from everyone. People expecting me to be a pastor, to be just like him, wondering when I was going to step up and take to the pulpit. I pulled away from church because it was all too overwhelming. And today, coming here, I had to relive that all over again.”
Roy was pacing now, running his hands repetitively through his hair.
“For just a little while I felt at peace in there. The sermon was really good—it actually spoke to me in a way, reminding me about God’s love and all that. I was invested in it. I felt like God was speaking directly to me, which is how it should be when you go to church with an open heart and mind. But then, as soon as it was over, I get swarmed by people and their questions and expectations. Now that my father’s gone, they expect me to be their hero, to swoop in and take his place. But the thing is,I’m not a pastor, Cora! That’s just not me. I don’t have the gift for it, I don’t have an eloquent way with words or a studious nature. And I’m okay with that. I know who I am. But if they are going to expect me to—”
Cora suddenly grabbed hold of Roy’s hands that were flailing in every direction while he spiraled on his rant. She pressed them toward his chest, clasping them tightly.
“Roy, listen to me,” Cora said firmly, her voice soothing. “You are doing great. Your father would be proud of you. And however you feel God is calling you to serve Him, that is what you should set your heart and mind to doing. No matter what anyone else says.”
Roy closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, Cora’s grip on his hands grounding him back to the present.
“You’re right,” he said, his breathing starting to slow. “I guess all of this was just bottled up inside for so long and being here brought it all back.”
He was about to thank her for being there for him during his state of panic, for being the friend he needed, when they were both interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
It was Sheriff Williams, standing there with his arms crossed, glaring at them as Cora held tightly to Roy’s hands.
