“Love you too, Steve. Good night.” Michelle hung up the phone and slid under the covers. Her mind still wasn’t at ease. Steve tried his best to convince her that she was just seeing things. But Michelle was certain of what she saw – little black imps prancing around the wall of her bedroom.
For awhile now, she had been seeing something out of the corner of her eye move about her apartment. The eeriness she felt was worse than any horror movie.
Michelle grabbed the Bible out of her nightstand. It had been given at her baptism when she was a child. She had been an avid reader then, but along the way to adulthood, she drifted.
As she turned the pages, she hoped for solace, but her internal fear was overriding anything that she read. Soon Michelle became frustrated, slamming the book shut, and forcing herself to sleep.
In the midst of what seemed like a dream, Michelle tried to scream. There was something trying to hold her facedown into her pillow. She reached back and felt something rubbery. There was a burnt smell.
She continued to struggle with this something until finally she turned over and was laying on her back. Her eyes grew wide as she saw a dark figure with two pointed horns and red eyes trying to strangle the life from her body. She panicked, frantically trying to break free. It laughed at her attempts.
The more Michelle squirmed, the tighter the being’s grip became. She tried to scream again, but nothing came out. She had to defend herself or be killed. Everything on the nightstand was out of reach. She felt doomed and helpless until she managed to cry out, “Jesus!”. The being fled.
Michelle jumped up from her “dream” dripping in sweat and disbelief. She was shaken to the core. Steve was her first thought to call, but deep inside she knew he was part of the problem. The two had been carrying on an affair for months.
Sure it was wrong to be in a relationship with a married man regardless of the circumstances. But somehow Michelle felt justified in what they were doing – she was lonely and so was he. His marriage had been almost non-existent for some time.
Truth was, she really didn’t know if the marriage was really bad or not. She only had his side of things, and one thing was apparent – Steve was never leaving his wife. Michelle knew it though he never uttered the words.
An inkling nudged Michelle to pick the Bible up again. When she did, it immediately opened and her eyes fell on 1 Thessalonians 4:3:
“God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.”
Michelle threw the Bible down on the bed in front of her like it was hot. When she was brave enough to pick it up again, her focus went to 1 Thessalonians 4:6:
“Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife.”
Michelle felt convicted. It had to end.
***
Over the next couple of days, Michelle sought to get back on track spiritually. She delved into reading the Bible and searched for a church home. These were good starts, but there was still something more that had to be done. One night Michelle dropped to the floor, kneeling to pray:
“Heavenly Father, thank you for opening the window to my soul. I see where I am wrong. Please forgive me for committing adultery and allowing myself to fall astray. Help me to get back on the right path, and forsake the temptations that may come. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Before Michelle could completely rise, her phone rang. It was Steve. This was her test.
She silenced the phone. He called again. Michelle sent the call to voicemail.
Finally Steve sent a text. She was tempted to read it, and even listen to the voicemail – just to hear his voice. But she couldn’t turn back now. He wasn’t worth the turmoil.
Without looking at the text, Michelle responded, “It’s over. I’m choosing God. Please forgive me for whatever damage I’ve caused you and your marriage. Do not contact me again.”
Steve did not follow directions. He tried calling Michelle again. And again she sent him to voicemail. He tried sending several text. All fell on deaf ears…and eyes.
She said a silent prayer asking for strength. Finally, Michelle deleted all remnants of him from her phone and blocked his number.
Michelle sunk in the bed and slept – peacefully.
Kach Wilfred is the middle child and only son in the Wilfred family. Growing up he had to battle his sisters for toys, bathroom time, and attention. Being the only boy, one would think Kach was treated special or even spoiled. Well, think again. Life for Kach was quite the opposite – or at least in his eyes. Whenever his father noticed he was spending a lot of time around his mother and sisters, he’d yell derogatory phrases at Kach like “Get from around there. Do you want to grow up to be a sissy?” and “I guess you’ll be knitting and starting your period too.” Kach felt self-conscious and only hung around his female relatives when his father was not around, which was often. Since Pete Wilfred owned his own business, his time with the family was limited. But he tried to make dinner every night, and have family time after church on Sundays. He kept his word on most occasions, but there were times when he missed a dinner here or there because of something urgent. 
Melanie V. Logan 