Test Of Faith

Test of Faith Ariel slid up to her desk and began to write. Dear Journal, The beginning of a new year and a new story. Every journal, every diary holds a story, each one different and true. This is mine, and it all begins one day in May last year. I was “Ariel, Aiden’s here!” Mrs. Brookes’ voice echoed cheerily in the house. Ariel threw down her green college-ruled notebook and stashed her pencil nearby, then flew down the hall to the kitchen, where Aiden stood, smelling the almostcooled cake on the counter. “Aiden!” Ariel ran up to her older brother and gave him the biggest bear hug she could possibly muster. He chuckled and smiled. “Nice to see you, too.” Ariel finally let go and analyzed the blue T-shirt, faded jeans, and heavy jacket hanging on his body. She finished her study and smiled. “Better,” she commented. “but we have to get some cake in you.” Everyone in the kitchen (Mr. and Mrs. Brookes, Aiden, and Ariel) laughed. Mrs. Brookes moved the cake to the old walnut dining table and iced it with chocolate goodness, then began to cut slices for everyone. Aiden’s slice was cut last, and she set it in front of him, then slid silently into her chair and looked at Aiden slyly. Everyone burst out laughing again. Aiden’s “slice” was almost the whole cake! After Aiden’s real slice was cut and everyone was done catching up, they retired to their rooms for a good night’s rest. Ariel, however grabbed her journal and snuggled deep into her thick-quilted bed. and true. This is mine, and it all begins one day in May last year. I was 14 and just about to go into high school the next year. My brother, Aiden, was all set to leave for college. Since it was close to the end of the year (school ended the first week of June), I was getting worried about going into highschool and being separated from my cool older brother. Plus, my life was in a steady downward spiral, and I wasn’t exactly living the good life. My parents praised my brother (a smart, popular jock) and I strived to get them to praise me (a not-so-smart, not-so-popular weakling). Though good at art, all my parents really appreciated were brains and brawn. I went to a public school, and not surprisingly, there were kids who did evil things. Boy, did I look up to them! But they were quite popular, and I was not, so they stayed far away (something I thank God for now). Anyway, I basically felt depressed, oppressed, and an all-around loser. My life was pretty awful, and it took its toll on me. Luckily, God had an answer to my life. He placed two amazing things into my path, and that took its toll as well-on both me and my family. The first was a gift from one of my teachers (a Christian): the “Desire of Ages” by Ellen White. I though she was out of her mind, and I probably gave her one of the most confused looks she ever saw. It was months before I got bored enough to actually read it, and even then it seemed pretty boring at first. Something pushed me through it, though, and when I did, it sparked a search for truth in my life. I began to study every religion in existence in the modern

world. I read about their holy books, studied their rituals, tested their beliefs, and ended up with Christianity. Then came the lengthy process of cross-examining the very diverse, individual beliefs, but I finally found one I liked: Ariel’s hand drooped and she closed her eyes, drifting swiftly to sleep. ✝✝✝✝✝✝✝ She woke up the next morning to the sound of her alarm clock trying to remind her that Christmas Break was over and school had begun. After she silenced the alarm clock, Ariel got up and had her morning worship, then drifted down the hall to breakfast. Everyone was already busily munching. “Good morning, dear.” said her mother, busily-but-happily making individual fruit-filled breakfast items of every kind, along with cooking eggs (scrambled, over-easy, you name it) and sneaking in her own breakfast. “Good morning, mom.” Ariel replied, silently laughing at her mom, flying and flitting about the kitchen. That’s my mom, busy bee. she thought, sliding into an empty wooden chair and grabbing a blueberry waffle. Ariel turned to her Aiden and asked, “How long before you have to go back to college?” “Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time before I have to leave. A week or two, at least.” he replied in-between bites of his multi-fruited collection of food. “Good.” she stated approvingly. “So what are you planning to do while you’re here?” asked Mrs. Brookes as she flew to the fridge. ”I don’t really know.” he replied. The conversation dwindled and they all went back to their munching. After breakfast, everyone went their separate ways. That night, when they all went to bed, Ariel grabbed her journal and got settled in at her desk. but I finally found one I liked: Seventh-Day Adventists. I asked my parents (they had been happily watching my studying) if we could visit their church that week. They figured that, since it got me studying, it couldn’t hurt, so they agreed and we went to church. The sermons there intrigued us, so we went again, and again, and again. Slowly, yet quickly we loved Jesus and accepted Him by getting baptized. Soon we found that joy, like none we had ever known, flooded over our souls. And soon we found our lives and attitudes, our treatment of those around us, changed-softened and sweetened by His love. We kept growing closer and closer to God, dropping our bad habits slowly, one by one. Then, it happened. Ariel placed her journal on the desk and retreated to her pleasantly warm bed. She stared sadly at the ceiling as she thought of the second big event in her life. She silently prayed, and a smile showed her peace as she drifted to sleep once again. ✝✝✝✝✝✝✝ The rest of the week passed quickly, with Ariel spending much time as possible with Aiden before he left early for college that Friday, breaking his promise of spending at least a whole week, maybe two, before he would leave. Soon it was Sunday morning, and Ariel shrugged off her brother’s departure in order to focus all her attention on her story. She was determined to finish it, whether it

took an hour or twenty-four. She sat down at her desk and began where she left off. The “it” was discovered when Aiden went for his required pre-college-sports physical exam. The doctor said that he was definitely not fit to play sports: he had lung cancer. Mom fainted, caught by Dad’s strong arms. The rest of us just stared at him in shock. Aiden’s health was perfect! I thought. Yeah, he had been feeling sort ‘off’ for the last few months, but cancer? My dad asked him if he was absolutely sure, if it wasn’t just the flu or something. The doctor said he was pretty sure, but that if he wanted, he could have Aiden take a cancer cell count test, which would tell him for sure if Aiden had cancer, and if so, how serious it was. The doctor said it was very expensive, though. Dad agreed anyway. The test confirmed the doctor’s words: Aiden had cancer. Bad. We lived in a daze of weeks and months. School started, I began high school, Aiden began chemotherapy. No college. I comforted myself. No worries. But there were: larger and more numerous than before. After a year of intensive treatment, Aiden only got worse. His health kept deteriorating until he was only a weak, skinny stick, a shadow of his previous bulky, muscular existence. Besides the obvious emotional tolls, there were financial ones. Though there was no college to pay for, chemotherapy was expensive, and had to be done (and paid for) frequently. My dad got a higher paying job, did more overtime, but the bills kept piling. We barely made ends meet each month, and our savings account was being drained faster and faster. This time, of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, somehow fueled our faith. Our prayers became more frequent and our family worship went from weekly to daily. But Aiden just got worse and worse, and with him went our situation, financially and emotionally. Our fear deepened and our hearts clung desperately to God. One day at the now-familiar doctor’s office, the doctor confirmed our worst and deepest fears. “Aiden, Ariel can you leave the room please. Thanks.” he said, with an empty smile. Aiden and I could sense that something was not right, but we obediently walked into the white-washed hallway, closing the door behind us. As soon as it was shut, I pressed my ear to the wood and strained it until I could hear the conversation beginning inside. “We can do more chemo, but I doubt that it would help much at this stage.” the doctor was saying. “What do you suggest we do?” replied my dad’s slightly angry voice. “My advise is to make the best of the time you have left.” ‘The time we have left?’ I wondered, glancing at Aiden from across the hallway as he read a sports magazine, a sad look to his face. My ear picked up more conversation on the other side of the door, and I listened closely. “Isn’t there anything you can do?” my mom was saying. “Well, you could try the test I mentioned again.” said the doctor. “It won’t cure the cancer, but it’ll let us know if doing more chemotherapy would help, and

if not, it’ll help us estimate how long you have.” “Thanks, doctor. We’ll let you know.” replied Dad. It sounded like the conversation was over, so I wandered away from the door and over to Aiden. My parents came out soon, and we went home. When we got there, Aiden and Dad got out, while Mom and I went shopping for a new dress for an upcoming dance. On the way, Mom explained everything to me, but of course, I already knew (which, knowing I shouldn’t lie, I explained to her). We bought a nice dress and went home, and this time the drive was silent. By this time, it was May again. But the spring held no joy, though Aiden’s condition had slightly improved. Still, for the next few weeks, our praying and our worships became more frequent than before as we tried to figure out what God wanted us to do. Mid-summer God revealed His plan, and we made the date for the test, knowing that this was the last of the money we had in the bank, and quite a large chunk of Dad’s pay. Finally, it was down to only a few days before the test would be done, and we fasted and prayed more than ever for a miracle. When the day actually came, I was at school, organizing my locker so it would be ready for Wednesday, the first day of school (it was Monday), and so I didn’t hear the news until I got home. All the way home, I pushed and prodded my parents to tell me the results of the test. They just pulled a straight face and told me to wait until we got home, and that it was a surprise. I felt my heart jump as a spark of hope ignited. But even when we got home, they wouldn’t tell me. I had to find Aiden first, and even then I had to wait for him to get the okay from our parents. Finally, it all came out...slowly. “This morning I felt pretty okay, but there were still negative thoughts on everyone’s mind as we went in for the test.” Aiden began. “Yes, yes...” I prodded. “We all knew that cancer isn’t cured in a month or two, but we went in and I took the test. Like last time, they told us it would take a half hour or so for the results to appear, and then at least another half hour for the results to get from the lab to the office.” “I know all this. Tell me the results already!” I cried impatiently. “Okay, okay. Calm down.” soothed Aiden. “Anyway, we got the results right before you called to come home.” Mom’s call that dinner was ready interrupted him. I couldn’t stand it another minute.“Out with it!” “I’m cancer-free! There’s not one cell in my body!” Aiden smiled with joy. “What?!” I said, taken aback by the wonderful news. “I’m healed!” Aiden said simply, then walked past me and down the hall to dinner. I just stood there, and slowly his words sank in. I cried out in joy and jumped up and down, then said, “Aiden, that’s wonderful!” at which time I realized that he had already left.

In the next few weeks, Aiden went back to college-after a complete physical (to make sure that he was really healed), and all our big problems (like our drained money supply) were taken care of. I was happy that my brother was able to go to college and I realized that, in all the excitement and worry, I had gone through my freshman year without noticing it. God took away my worries about my life and made me focus my attention on others’ lives, and that was just a side effect of the wonderful miracle He did. And that’s my story. Ariel closed her journal and threw it on her bed as she ran down the hall to get some lunch. She was HUNGRY! The End