Go Gladly...A Modern Parable

It was the end of a long week.  Moby and Felix had been talking and joking and watching TV and living life together, as brothers do.  But as evening drew near, Felix got quieter and quieter.  They both began to look down the road.  “Our sister is coming,” Moby told Felix.  “She’ll be here any minute…you’ll see.”  And then, there she was.  “Hey, Debbe! How’s it going?” Moby asked.  Debbe was pleased to see them, and they sat down to eat together, as they liked to do.

The three visited for a while, and Moby and Debbe laughed and teased; it was their way.  All at once, when Debbe said she would see them later, Felix looked up at Debbe and told her that soon it would be time for him to go.  Debbe said she thought he might be right, and decided to stay.  None of them wanted to be the first to say GoodBye, so they tarried, visiting some more.  Some of their friends came and wished him well, until finally the time came for Felix to go and only the three were left. But still he lingered. It was growing dark and the way was shadowy. There were bumps and pits and tree roots on the path, and Felix had never been this way before. He wasn’t sure he could manage it with his wheelchair.

“It’s alright, Sweetheart, we’ll walk you home, won’t we Moby?” Debbe said. “Hmmm?  What? Right now?  Oh, OK, sure,” Moby replied, and the three set off together, with Debbe pulling Felix’s wheelchair along beside her, like she did whenever they crossed a parking lot.  The three followed the path, talking and singing and remembering their past adventures.

Sometimes they would laugh; sometimes a memory was so special they would cry a little bit.  Sometimes Felix would hesitate, not knowing, and Debbe would take his hand and encourage him with thoughts of what a nice place his home was, and of the wonderful One who was waiting for him there, while Moby reminded Felix of all the great things he had done. Near the end of the journey, their friend Kathy joined them and refreshed them with singing.

Finally, there they were, at the very Gate of Home, and it was full dark.  The sun had gone down, the night was cloudy, and the fireflies had not yet begun to twinkle.  Moby said good bye and stood back.  Debbe took Felix’s face in her hands, looked into his eyes, and told him, “Little Brother, before I took you anyplace, I always went ahead first to check it out. To see whether you would like it, whether it was safe for your wheelchair, and how we could manage it together.  Now it’s your turn to go on first and check it out for me.  It’ll be OK. You’re alright. Let go now - -you’re almost there and there’s nothing here to keep you. When you hear Jesus calling you, go gladly.”

Felix nodded.  He looked up, and there was his Savior on the other side of the gate, calling “Felix!”  Suddenly, Felix found that he wasn’t afraid. The gate was too small for his wheelchair to go through, so Debbe helped him to stand up, just as she used to do, and he left it behind him when he stepped across to the other side of the gate.  Debbe, Moby, and Kathy stood beside his wheelchair calling out “Good Bye, Felix!  We Love You! We’ll see you soon!” and maybe they cried a little more, but Felix didn’t look back.

He was home.