From early childhood and all through my school years, home life was the safest place for me. I would run there, hiding from danger Of course, my perception of danger changed as I was growing up, but there was always a secure place to escape - home.
And there came a day when even final exams were finally over. The school director's last words sounded like this: "Make sure you don't waste your lives! Express yourselves and make a difference in this world!" I started walking out. The school guard was, as usual, idly standing at the gate, kicking the dust.
"So, what's next," he asked me when I walked past him.
"I'll think of something," I answered and continued to walk away.
On the way home, I stopped at the playground and sat next to a little boy, playing with bubbles. I looked at him and said: "Yea, now it's your time. I also had fun with bubbles before, but now I'm mature and serious. I have to manage on my own. I should go far away from my parents' house to feel independent."
Surprisingly the boy answered me with a most serious expression on his little face. "My father says that a man can learn a lot about life playing with soap bubbles. And by the way, he also says that to live independently as an adult, you need to earn money!"
"Good idea. What do you think I should do?"
"Well, my father says you should do what you are good at; use your natural talent."
I could only think of my one most outstanding feature.
"I can tell hilarious jokes and make everybody laugh. Can that be a job?"
"My father says that whatever brings you money is a job."
"You're right. What a clever idea! A job as a comedian! What can be better than being on stage in sparkling light, owning an audience's admiration?" And I got up to go.
"Are you going to pay me for that smart advice?" the boy asked, blowing his bubbles at me.
"To pay? Look at you. You are a kid! You've got to be kidding!" I put my hand on his shoulder and approved, "that was a good joke!"
I went to check some information, and sure enough, a place was available in the other part of the country. "I want to be independent," I reminded myself and made my choice. Grabbing all my savings, I left my parents' home and headed out to face the big world.
After a long journey, I stopped before a sign, "Entertainment Company." I entered and soon was standing in front of the owner himself.
"Go ahead, tell us about yourself," he started.
"I have an outstanding personality. I'm smart and expressive. My heart is ablaze with motivation, and I have a great sense of humor."
"We see that you're not a timid person. We need someone to work every night, stand on stage, tell jokes, and make everyone laugh for an hour. You can invent. We give you the green light to improvise."
"Wow!" I exclaimed. "But I just finished school and have no prior experience."
"No problem. We give preference to adolescents without prior experience. We can make you a part of our family and tame you as one of our own."
Under the surface of those last words, I discerned a weird feeling of danger, but instead of pushing my brakes, went straight on. "When do I start?"
"If you are such a kicker, why don't you kick off tonight's game? My helpers will get you a shiny costume, and you will start shortly. Have fun!”
And here I was. A dream came through. Standing on a stage in sparkling light, I told my jokes, and everybody laughed. Suddenly I noticed something strange: right in the middle of the show, a few men in black sneaked in from the back doors into the auditorium and spread out between the chairs. I kept telling my stories while trying to observe those guys, and I saw they were robbers! Being on stage, I was the only one who could see them. Now I was in an actual life exam, nothing compared to school exams. I had to continue doing my job, but I couldn't pretend I did not see the thieves. I stopped my story and shouted: "Watch out for those men next to you; they are robbers!" All the lights went out at once, and panic spread like lightning. Within a minute, all the people ran out in different directions.
I was sitting on a stage, alone in a dark empty auditorium. Then once again, a beam of light flashed on me. I didn't like it this time; I was kind of scared. The business owner and his helpers approached me and said: "We hired you to do a job for an hour. Why did you stop before the time?"
"But I saw those -"
"That was not your business! They were working with us, and you were supposed to continue your performance. Was it so difficult?"
"No - well, yes -"
"We see that you are good for nothing. You betrayed our trust! Your employment is canceled! Get out of here, idiot, before we cut you off from this beautiful world!"
I ran away as fast as I could and as far as I could. Eventually, I ran out of strength and fell asleep, exhausted.
The following morning, I woke up lying on the ground in front of a bar with a few men standing in a circle around me, having a heated discussion, each with a bottle in his hand. One of them pointed at me. "Have you heard what happened last night? This fellow exposed the biggest entertainment company! He is a brave guy. Let's drink to his honor!"
"What was in it for him?"
"Nothing," opposed the eldest among them.
"If he would be a detective, at least he would get paid for doing his job."
The third one lifted his bottle high in the air and proclaimed right above my head: "This is real life! Everything else is fiction!"
"There is nothing you can do about it. That's our only choice, explained to me the fourth one with the voice of a peacemaker. "This is our refuge," and he pointed to the bar's door. "Wanna come with us?"
I felt nauseous and couldn't answer a word. I watched the men disappear behind that door, saying, "leave this guy alone; he is not mature yet. He will understand this life one day." Here I was alone, despicable, scorned, and confused. My whole life was a waste, and I didn't have a place to escape. Should I go into the bar to understand life and become mature? As I thought that, another man appeared before me and said: "Sorry for interfering, but you don't have to suppress yourself so hard and wither for the rest of your life."
"Enough of comments!" And I pushed the stranger away. "I want to have a break from all this criticism! Let me go drink something."
"You don't need to swallow everything that comes your way. The reason I spoke to you is that you look homeless."
Now he got my attention: "Why would you say that? Just because I slept one night outside does not mean I'm homeless!"
"You look confused. I understand that you run away from danger, but do you have a place to escape? Where is your secure refuge? If you don't have one, you're homeless."
I stopped to think for a minute. "My parents' home, I remembered; I can go back."
"Secure parents' home is a bonus. But you are on your own now and should build your base. It's all about choices. Come with me, and I will tell you a story. I agreed, not having anything else to do now. And he started. "Once upon a time lived a man called Abraham. He traveled together with his nephew by the name Lot. They both were wealthy and had a lot of flocks."
"Are you kidding me?" I interrupted him. "Who doesn't know this story? Every child learns it in kindergarten! I am not a child anymore!"
"No problem," answered the man, without any sign of offense. "You've learned it in a kindergarten; what do you remember?"
"They had to separate. Lot went away from Abraham and settled in civilized Sodom's region. But that place became bad luck for him. The judgment of God doomed that whole civilization. His only option to stay alive was to leave his home and run away. Two angels came to help him reach a secure refuge before the destruction started. Once Lot was safe, fire came from heaven and completely erased the entire region! It's a terrible story. Poor Lot!"
"All right. That's a good start. But now, as an adult, you can learn more from this story. You can draw a positive message out of it, a wisdom that will help you fortify your base."
"Go ahead, tell me your version."
"I will try. It was not the place that brought bad luck for Lot but his own decision. Fate has nothing to do with how our lives turn out but rather our choices. The whole land was before him, no one forced him to settle in Sodom, but he wanted that for himself and his family. Abraham gave him a right to choose first, being willing to accept the remaining option gladly. The question was not right or left, but how would you make your choice. The sparkles of a civilized Sodom attracted Lot because an abundant water supply caused rapid growth and development. It wasn't healthy for him, though, because sin was also in abundance. One day, its dirty rivers came to his door and almost broke out into his personal life. In the unfolding of those events became clear that all this time, Lot was homeless without a secure refuge. He had to, as you said, run for his life. He escaped the destruction due to his uncle's intervention. Abraham interceded before the only One who could influence the outcome.
"Of course, such a difference! Abraham's dwelling was always secure, no troubles!"
"The difference between them is hidden in Abraham's choice from long before. His story goes back to when the Almighty made him a promise. He said to Abraham: 'Walk before Me and be thou blameless…,' and Abraham chose to walk before the Almighty. He entrusted to God all his matters and let Him lead the journey. But to follow, Abraham had to examine everything that came his way, including every counsel, idea, and business proposal, to accept one and to say no to another. God Himself assumed responsibility for securing Abraham's dwelling everywhere he went. To secure your dwelling is a basic element of life. You carry out all your actions from that place. Your material house is only a small particle of that design."
Suddenly we arrived at a sign that read: "Everything for your home," and the man stopped. He pointed to the signage and said: "Now go and buy solid building material."
"Please come with me," I asked him. "I want to make sure to get the right stuff."
"No, you need to go there alone," he said firmly. Maturity requires learning to make the right choices on your own. But you need to know something about that site: they have everything, but you don't need everything they have. To build a solid secure base, you need to be very selective and choose with understanding. Some folks don't take it seriously and never invest in quality building materials, like insight and discernment; instead, the sparkles attract them, which are always on sale.
Take care of the details and build a quality sewage system. Remember Lot! Once the stench breaks out, you will have to run for your life. Remember Abraham! The blessing of the Almighty will make your dwelling sure and your days in it filled with a fragrance of well-being."
He got a small screwdriver from his pocket and handed it to me. "You would need to put it all together now. But don't get carried away in your building projects, since for only a time it is entrusted to us."