No Wasted Tears (8 page)

With that, Adam opened the door stepping out, he turned and then
waved.

Destiny closed the door and leaned back on it while smiling to herself. She didn’t hear Cynthia and her aunt walk in the
room.

“It looks to me like someone is excited about more than just this new house,” Sara stated as she turned to head toward the
kitchen.

“So do you think Adam realized he was talking to his nephews?” Cynthia asked in a cautious
voice.

Destiny was a little shocked to hear this information so soon. But she gave Cynthia a reassuring embrace. “We’re here for each other. Don’t worry about something that hasn’t happened yet. God will work it out for you if you put it in his hands. Don’t ask me why I’m saying this because usually I’m the one seeking answers for my life. But just like for me, God has all of your answers, Cynthia.”

Pulling back to look her in the eyes, she continued, “And if he did recognize the resemblance, he didn’t say anything. Let’s just take one day at time. It’s all going to work out in the end. Now let’s have dinner in our new home.” They both headed to the kitchen to help
Sara.

After settling in for the night, Destiny finally let rip a whoop of joy. She sang and danced on the spot as she took in the room again. She quieted as she rounded the room, touching everything—bedspreads, curtains, wardrobe, dresser, mirror, and chairs. The wonderful house was made even better because she owned it along with her aunt. And then there was that attractive Pastor Wheeler that had driven her and Cynthia home. She knelt down and said a quick prayer of
thanks.

As Adam got in the car, he was in deep thought. He wondered what he was going to say to his brother. When he saw Jonathan and David, he knew right away. They looked identical to the pictures of him and his brother that their mother had on the mantle above the fireplace.
My God, how did Cynthi
a do it all by herse
lf?
He knew that she hadn’t been home in years. Cynthia’s parents disowned her shortly after she left for college. Now he understood why. But why didn’t she tell Marvin?

After a short visit with his friend in SeaTac, Adam drove home. He loved attending conferences, but there was no place like home. Adam shut the door to his condominium. It was his retreat. The inside of it surrounded him with all the things that soothed his soul. Laying his briefcase on the marble kitchen counter, Adam removed his shoes. He sunk his sock-covered feet into the richness of the rug that lay over his dark hardwood floor. Running a slender hand over his coarse, cropped hair, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before slowly letting out his breath. This was an exercise he’d learned to do to release the tension and anxiety he was feeling. He walked over to the sink, turned on a steady flow of cool water, and softly splashed his face. He then headed to his bedroom to get cleaned up from his long day of
travel.

He sat on the chaise lounge at the foot of his king-size bed. A clock on the mantel of the massive fireplace chimed the hour. It was ten o’clock. He had miles to go before he slept. As he began to unpack his luggage, he couldn’t help but to reflect on his evening spent with
Destiny.

He smiled when he remembered how nervous she was when she’d gotten on the plane in Charleston. She was really something—a little afraid to open up at first and she seemed to be a good listener. She also had a sensitive side that was really refreshing. He knew she was not a strong believer, but she had a desire to know the Lord, and he wanted to be the one to introduce her to the blessings of knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. He had sworn off trying to develop any kind of relationship until he established himself as a pastor. That had been years ago. Now he had a strong desire to find someone to love and someone to share his life with. Greater Community had always been his second love. But now he realized not having someone to share it with was
lonely.

On the plane he had talked to Destiny and one thing was certain he knew that she had been hurt somewhere in her life. He sensed that she was running from something, but only God could work that out for her. It was just last week that he had taught the singles that God hates it when they have vain imaginations, according to Romans 1:21 and 2 Corinthians 10:5. Many single women suffered from vain imaginations more than any other group of women. One imagination that single women have was the “prince on a white horse” belief.

When a woman started to imagine that God had magically chosen a husband for her, she engages in what the Bible calls a “vain imagination.” It’s an empty imagination, not supported by scriptures. The only “prince on a white horse” whom they would encounter was one named Jesus Christ. Because of the man shortage that they say is in the land, an alarmingly large number of single women are stricken with desperation, panic, anxiety, fear, and anger. He believed these negative emotions had to be dealt with, or they would destroy a
woman.

Adam wanted a woman who stood out in the crowd. He’d been patient waiting for what God wanted for him in a wife. He had foolishly put a time limit on God saying that he was going to give him three years to find him the right woman. But maybe God had other plans. One thing was for sure: Adam knew his wife had to be special to understand his calling. She had to love the Lord and love
people.

For now he hoped his reaction to seeing Cynthia again had not raised too many red flags. There was something about Destiny that had his heart palpitating. For now, he wanted to be her friend. He wanted them to learn as much about each other as possible. If she came to church on Sunday, he would make it his priority to talk to her about them spending time with each
other.

Chapter 6

On Sunday morning
Adam rose slowly from his knees and sat on the edge of his bed. He raised his hands, praising God for blessing him to see another day. Looking around the room, he admired all that God had blessed him with since he began his patronage at Greater Community. Serving the Lord was worth all of the sacrifices he had made, and with every passing day God proved it more and
more.

Looking around for his briefcase, he picked up his Bible from the nightstand, grabbed his suit jacket, and walked out of his bedroom toward the front of the house. He could not help but hear the words to Psalms 118:24: “
This is the da
y the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and
be glad in it
.”
Truly this was the day he had made, and he could not wait to see what else God would do with it. Smiling, he opened the door to head for Greater
Community.

Adam already knew that the Spirit of the Lord was in the sanctuary as he listened to cries of “Sing choir!” “Hallelujah!” and “Praise the Lord!” coming from every corner of the church. From his seat, Adam agreed. He could see the spirit of the Lord on the faces of the worshipers as they clapped their hands, stomped their feet, and lifted their hands in praise to the Almighty. He knew that there would be a great outpouring of the spirit throughout the
service.

It took everything in him to contain himself as young Anthony Hodges took the mic and began to sing, “Awesome.” He closed his eyes as the spirit of the Lord took him where no one in the world could, into the presence of God. It was an exuberating experience. His prayer was that one day this would be an experience he would share with his helpmate. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Destiny had just taken her seat along with Miss Sara, Cynthia, and the twins. Adam allowed himself to enjoy the warmth that flooded his soul as he watched
her.

She looked beautiful in her canary yellow suit. She had such poise and gracefulness, classy, but not overdone, and she stood out amongst the other worshipers, whether she wanted to or not. He took the time to look at her as she glanced at the worshipers around her. She was young in the Lord, and he had no problem with that because he saw the sincerity in
her.

The thing that amazed him was the behavior of the boys. They were dressed in khaki pants and polo-style shirts. Each of them were standing and clapping their hands as if this was the norm for them. Miss Sara would fit right in with the mothers at Greater Community. She had on a beautiful pink dress with a hat to match, and not once did she sit down upon entering the sanctuary. Destiny was clapping as well as smiling, but from the movement of her head, he knew she was checking everything out. Cynthia must have been accustomed to this type of worship as well because she was standing right along with Sara. Her eyes were closed, but he could see her tears from where he was sitting. She seemed to be in that place he was in before he looked up to see Destiny entering the
sanctuary.

Cynthia was dressed beautifully as well. She chose to wear no hat, but she did have on a beautiful silver
suit.

The church was hit by a wave of the Holy Spirit, and the service took on a new level of worship. The ministerial staff had finished with all of their duties. Minister Susan Falson was about to do the offertory appeal, and Adam
knew his time to minister would come after she finished. Rachel, one of the soloists in the choir, moved to take the mic after the offering was completed, and as she opened her mouth to sing the beginning bars of “Just One Touch,” Adam began to silently pray before he stood behind the book board to speak the words of the Lord for the
day.

Father, truly you are awesome in all of your ways. Your majesty leaves us, as mere humans, speechless at times. Truly, it is just as the words in this song say; it only takes one touch as you pass by that causes us to know that you will listen to the faintest cry. It is with that knowledge that I ask you to use me as a vessel to change the lives of the souls who are looking to hear from you
today.

Adam knew the voice of Rachel because she often sang the lead to many of the selections in the choir. But the voice he was hearing now was one that sounded like the voice of a thousand angels. As he lifted his head and opened his eyes, it was in amazement as he heard a voice, just as strong as Rachel’s, singing the words to “Just One Touch.” With her eyes closed, oblivious to all that was happening around her, Cynthia was crying and singing those words. It moved him more than he could ever say when he heard her sing the words, “Just one touch and he makes me whole, speaks sweet peace to my sin-sick soul; at his feet all my burdens roll, cured by the Healer divine just one
touch!”

It was at this point that Rachel stopped singing, so moved by the voice of one who seemed to have been anointed by God at that moment to usher in his presence. Everyone in the church was looking in Cynthia’s direction, but she never once opened her eyes. From where she was standing in the pews, she continued to sing, “And the work is done, I am saved by the blessed Son. I will sing while the ages run, cured by the Healer divine.” The only sounds that were heard by anyone were
a chorus of, “Praise the Lord,” “Hallelujah,” “I love you, God,” and, “Thank you, Jesus.”

Everyone was affected by the beautiful voice of Cynthia, and as she finished the last verse, the sanctuary was filled with his glory. When she opened her eyes, Destiny hugged her. Miss Sara was crying in between saying, “Bless you, Lord.”

The twins were both holding on to the legs of their mom, and Adam saw his congregation nudging each other, pointing in Cynthia’s
direction.

It was then that he rose and walked toward the podium to do what he knew he’d been called to do. Opening his mouth, he began to preach. “Let the church say amen, for the Lord is surely in this place today. Can I get another amen?” He heard a return chorus of “amens.”

“I don’t know about you all, but I know the presence of the Lord is here. Today, would you open your Bibles to John, the fourth chapter?” Adam smiled when he heard all of the Bible pages
turning.

“I want you to take a trip with me to the town of Samaria. Adam looked out over his congregation before continuing. “I want to invite you all to come see a
man.”

Adam began by saying, “I want you to listen in on a conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well. Having met her at Jacob’s well and being very thirsty, Jesus asked her for a drink. The woman refused because he was a Jew and therefore could not expect favors from a
Samaritan.”

As always, Adam made the story
personal to everyone in the audience by going on to say, “Now, if you don’t know, let me inform you all that Jesus had a rep
that not many can duplicate. So when he flipped the script and started to talk about living water, he then turned around and informed her that if she only knew the gift of God that was in her presence, she would ask him for water. Can I give it to you in today’s
language?”