Cold Hearts
The snowflakes kept falling. The winter air was like a knife, so cold it numbed the brain. The two strangers on the deck shuddered as the ship tilted slightly. The smell of tobacco smoke drifted on the bitter night air. The faint glow from a pipe lit up a face as the user puffed slightly. An unlikely pair was on a Liner, which was passing through the North Sea bound for Greenland from Denmark.
The surging ocean swell was increasing as the further North they went. It was making the passengers feel very sick, and these two people had come up from the stuffy quarters below to the foredeck to breathe some fresh air…
One was a business man from a large investment company in New York. The other was an Australia woman who spent the previous 40 years saving her pennies to be able to pay for this trip. The man was reasonably tall, but a somewhat heavy built gentleman dressed in a fine grey suit. He had a magnificent waxed moustache and beautifully groomed hair peeked from beneath the expensive cap he wore. Fierce piecing eyes glittered out from under bushy eyebrows at the slim dainty woman who was very roughly dressed in a shabby old coat and a dingy scarf that had obviously seen better days. “Well m’lady, this is a cold chilly night to be sure,” said he. “I find the air down below absolutely putrid, but this is worse still. The old injury I got in the war aches so much more when I get cold.”
The lady looked back at the finely dressed Gentleman and smiled softly. “No Sir,” she said, “You probably don’t like the cold. Neither do I, but I was once use to it.”
The man shuffled his feet on the frozen deck and poked the ash in his pipe with an air of thoughtfulness. “You were once use to the cold? Pray tell me, how is that?”
The little lady was silent for a bit… her wide pale blue eyes blinked in the light of a storm lantern hanging nearby. Pieces of mousy hair hung down from under her tattered old hat… damp limp bits, with a faint curl. The face was worn with the cares of time, and the skin sunken and hollow. But her expression was full of grace and love. In fact, it was quite fascinating to see. Although the woman’s outward appearance showed a woman on the breadline, her countenance showed a person who was completely contended with her life.
“My good fellow,” She murmured softly, “I have walked a long hard road in my life. I have done many things I should never have done. But Sir, at that time in my life I did not know the person I know now. Before I knew him, my life was rotten. It was rotten to the core. I did sinful things; I did evil things. I would awake each morning wondering what the whole purpose of life was, and why I was even here. Once I met this new friend everything in my life changed forever. Yes, I still carry the image I sowed back in those days. I can’t help my looks and the ruin it bought to my family, as that is the image I sowed back then. However, I have changed on the inside. The outside still looks the same, but I ruined the “shell” in my past life.”
The immaculate Gentleman leant over, “Please tell me my good woman, who is this friend you found?”
The lady looked up into the well dressed mans face, “His name is Jesus Christ, the King of Kings… the one and only God who became man and died at Calvary for our sins. And Sir, he wants to be your friend too… if you will accept him.
I see” said the man, “But m’lady you still haven’t told me how you were once use to the cold?”
“Yes I have,” she replied, “I am now 69 years old and I lived the first 55 years of my life in the cold.
"Sir, truly I tell you, living without Christ is to live with a cold heart. Jesus warms you up so that even if you freeze to death you are still cosy inside.”
With a flick of her wrist the lady shifted her scarf slightly as she continued, “You reap what you sow, but when you meet the King of Kings he makes you a new creation… on the inside!”
“God bless you Sir,” said the lady, “Think on what I have told you, and I pray you make the right choice. My friend would be pleased to hold your hand too.”
The Gentleman emptied his pipe and stuffed it back into its case. “Well woman, perhaps you have something there…. Thank-you, I will think on it. Good night m’lady, and sleep well.”
“God Bless you Sir,” whispered the woman as the tall gentleman moved off.
“Hmmmmm, you reap what you sow?” muttered the man to himself as he opened his cabin door “You reap what you sow eh? Well what have I sown?
As he washed at the hand basin in his cabin he pondered over what he had sown in his life. He remembered the wife he had left years before. He remembered the young son they’d had… and who he hadn’t met in almost 30 years. He remembered the arguments he’d had with his wife. He remembered the car he had bought with money he had stolen from an elderly couple. He remembered all the sinful things he had done… things he couldn’t bear to think of. But he knew God remembered them… and he was afraid.
What would happen to his soul if he died tonight? Where would it end up? The rich wealthy man had suddenly realised his heart was cold… he needed to be warmed up within. Could he make the right choice?
Slowly the burden got heavier… what he had heard on the deck was convicting him. He could contain himself no longer.
The broken man slumped down beside his bed to pray… the first time since he was a lad, “God, if you really exist, please forgive my past sins and make me a new man. I am sorry for all the wrong things I have done, and want you to rein supreme in my heart. Please come into my life and warm my heart up. I am tired of the cold and I need someone to love me. I have no-one else but you. I will do whatever you want me to do. I give myself unconditionally to you. This I pray in Jesus Name, Amen”
The Gentleman opened his eyes, he suddenly felt warm and happy. He was no longer cold inside. He had a friend and a guide to watch over him now. If he slipped, his friend would catch him before he fell far. If he made a mistake, his friend would not allow it to go totally wrong. He was finally on the Kings Highway, and on his way to the CelestialCity.
Sinner friend, will you join him today? There is room at the Cross for you.
Written 11th November 2010
By Adam R. B. Reeve
The surging ocean swell was increasing as the further North they went. It was making the passengers feel very sick, and these two people had come up from the stuffy quarters below to the foredeck to breathe some fresh air…
One was a business man from a large investment company in New York. The other was an Australia woman who spent the previous 40 years saving her pennies to be able to pay for this trip. The man was reasonably tall, but a somewhat heavy built gentleman dressed in a fine grey suit. He had a magnificent waxed moustache and beautifully groomed hair peeked from beneath the expensive cap he wore. Fierce piecing eyes glittered out from under bushy eyebrows at the slim dainty woman who was very roughly dressed in a shabby old coat and a dingy scarf that had obviously seen better days. “Well m’lady, this is a cold chilly night to be sure,” said he. “I find the air down below absolutely putrid, but this is worse still. The old injury I got in the war aches so much more when I get cold.”
The lady looked back at the finely dressed Gentleman and smiled softly. “No Sir,” she said, “You probably don’t like the cold. Neither do I, but I was once use to it.”
The man shuffled his feet on the frozen deck and poked the ash in his pipe with an air of thoughtfulness. “You were once use to the cold? Pray tell me, how is that?”
The little lady was silent for a bit… her wide pale blue eyes blinked in the light of a storm lantern hanging nearby. Pieces of mousy hair hung down from under her tattered old hat… damp limp bits, with a faint curl. The face was worn with the cares of time, and the skin sunken and hollow. But her expression was full of grace and love. In fact, it was quite fascinating to see. Although the woman’s outward appearance showed a woman on the breadline, her countenance showed a person who was completely contended with her life.
“My good fellow,” She murmured softly, “I have walked a long hard road in my life. I have done many things I should never have done. But Sir, at that time in my life I did not know the person I know now. Before I knew him, my life was rotten. It was rotten to the core. I did sinful things; I did evil things. I would awake each morning wondering what the whole purpose of life was, and why I was even here. Once I met this new friend everything in my life changed forever. Yes, I still carry the image I sowed back in those days. I can’t help my looks and the ruin it bought to my family, as that is the image I sowed back then. However, I have changed on the inside. The outside still looks the same, but I ruined the “shell” in my past life.”
The immaculate Gentleman leant over, “Please tell me my good woman, who is this friend you found?”
The lady looked up into the well dressed mans face, “His name is Jesus Christ, the King of Kings… the one and only God who became man and died at Calvary for our sins. And Sir, he wants to be your friend too… if you will accept him.
I see” said the man, “But m’lady you still haven’t told me how you were once use to the cold?”
“Yes I have,” she replied, “I am now 69 years old and I lived the first 55 years of my life in the cold.
"Sir, truly I tell you, living without Christ is to live with a cold heart. Jesus warms you up so that even if you freeze to death you are still cosy inside.”
With a flick of her wrist the lady shifted her scarf slightly as she continued, “You reap what you sow, but when you meet the King of Kings he makes you a new creation… on the inside!”
“God bless you Sir,” said the lady, “Think on what I have told you, and I pray you make the right choice. My friend would be pleased to hold your hand too.”
The Gentleman emptied his pipe and stuffed it back into its case. “Well woman, perhaps you have something there…. Thank-you, I will think on it. Good night m’lady, and sleep well.”
“God Bless you Sir,” whispered the woman as the tall gentleman moved off.
“Hmmmmm, you reap what you sow?” muttered the man to himself as he opened his cabin door “You reap what you sow eh? Well what have I sown?
As he washed at the hand basin in his cabin he pondered over what he had sown in his life. He remembered the wife he had left years before. He remembered the young son they’d had… and who he hadn’t met in almost 30 years. He remembered the arguments he’d had with his wife. He remembered the car he had bought with money he had stolen from an elderly couple. He remembered all the sinful things he had done… things he couldn’t bear to think of. But he knew God remembered them… and he was afraid.
What would happen to his soul if he died tonight? Where would it end up? The rich wealthy man had suddenly realised his heart was cold… he needed to be warmed up within. Could he make the right choice?
Slowly the burden got heavier… what he had heard on the deck was convicting him. He could contain himself no longer.
The broken man slumped down beside his bed to pray… the first time since he was a lad, “God, if you really exist, please forgive my past sins and make me a new man. I am sorry for all the wrong things I have done, and want you to rein supreme in my heart. Please come into my life and warm my heart up. I am tired of the cold and I need someone to love me. I have no-one else but you. I will do whatever you want me to do. I give myself unconditionally to you. This I pray in Jesus Name, Amen”
The Gentleman opened his eyes, he suddenly felt warm and happy. He was no longer cold inside. He had a friend and a guide to watch over him now. If he slipped, his friend would catch him before he fell far. If he made a mistake, his friend would not allow it to go totally wrong. He was finally on the Kings Highway, and on his way to the CelestialCity.
Sinner friend, will you join him today? There is room at the Cross for you.
Written 11th November 2010
By Adam R. B. Reeve