Not By Chance By Choice. Desmond Richardson

on the next person and if I told the truth when convicted of a crime. I started to see the story as a reflection of what life looked like from a parent’s perspective, but Adam and Eve had been children of the Creator. Thoughts started to come to my mind on what I would have done differently if I were in Adam’s and Eve’s positions, but I started to see if I could not obey my regular parents, how could I obey a God? I would humble myself before the Lord, His Scriptures and His messengers, and ask, “What is the next story of the Bible?” They would tell me about the death of a brother by another brother’s hand, the story of Abel and Cain. I see the people of the Lord took a turn after they ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was death on each side for the people of the Lord. Brothers turning on each other and Adam and Eve allowing death into our lives. I was intrigued with the stories of the Bible, so I continued to meet with Aaron and Paul.

      Each time I meet with Aaron and Paul, the Bible revealed an answer to me on how things came to be. I opened up to Aaron and Paul a little more about what was going on in my heart.

      I told them, “My heart was empty. I felt as if there was no more life in me. Being successful is what plagued my mind, and now that I have what I want, I feel lost and incomplete. Why am I here? Is it to continue saving for a bright future? I could not keep working for a bright future. It was eating me up inside to stay in the same place and do the same things.”

      They both looked at me and prayed for me. Then, Paul explained that the pain I was feeling was because I was not connected to the Lord. I was willing to believe him at this point in my life. I knew that the Bible answered every question I had about who the Lord could be, if He was.

      I started to see God as someone just and stern. From the beginning, He had a plan to rescue His people if they made a mistake. I learned that Abraham was the father of two great faiths, Islam and the Christianity. Every answer I had about life was being revealed in the Bible. I could not believe I rejected reading the Bible for so long. I even cursed the Creator. I was ashamed of who I was. I saw the Lord never wanted to reject me, but I kept rejecting Him. I knew the punishment for a man like me, and that was hell. I was an atheist; I cursed His name and His people. I knew I was on my way to hell, and it was a one-way ticket.

      I called Aaron and Paul to tell them how I felt. They encouraged me and let me know that there was grace found at the cross. I looked at them and asked, “What does that mean?” They didn’t tell me. We called it a night, and I pondered on everything we talked about in the Bible.

      One story led to another in the Bible, and I found out I needed a new heart to communicate with the Lord. How would I get a new heart? I asked myself. I could go to the hospital and get a new heart, but I remembered that Adam and Eve became men of flesh, and we all shared in their wicked heart. I was running out of ideas and options on how to get this new heart. I could not wait until I met with Aaron and Paul again because my heart and mind were racing once again. I had a certain hump—a smooth groove—about myself since I knew a little about the Creator.

      I set another date to meet Aaron and Paul. We met at a restaurant. We talked about our weeks, and I told them that this week, I felt closer to God than I ever did. They said “Okay, that’s good” and went into the stories of the Bible. I would listen intently because I wanted to understand more about the Lord. I could not believe the Bible was becoming interesting to me. I did not tell any of my friends about my private meetings with the Lord and His people because I wasn’t fully converted.

      We only covered ten or twelve stories of the Old Testament, but each story was packed with knowledge on life. This knowledge traveled from place to place, giving life to the people of God.

      Then Paul asked me how I felt I had harmed the Lord. I said, “Having sex with too many women.”

      Paul said, “You deliberately disobey God and have sex with His daughter and think you deserve a new heart.”

      I knew I was going to hell now. Then Paul told me to pray, so I did. I did not think anything would come from me talking to the Lord now. I was an atheist—I cursed Him night in and night out, rejected his people, and took advantage of His daughters. All I could do at that moment was shake my head. We parted ways for the night, and I went home upset.

      The next day would be the day before my birthday. It was May 5, and my birthday was May 6. I was headed to work, doing my normal routine, when suddenly a strong wind came over me. It caused me to swerve a little in my car. Then, I felt a feeling of happiness overtake me. I asked myself, “What is this feeling?” It was alive and vibrant. I wondered, Was this feeling the new heart Aaron and Paul spoke about?

      It was too soon to tell. I went to work, and all I could talk about was the Bible. All my coworkers were shocked because they knew I did not believe in the Lord. I started telling them about the people I met and the stories we went over in the Bible, and they smiled.

      Work ended, and I met Aaron and Paul at their school. The first words that came out of my mouth when I saw them was, “I am back in the garden.” That quote meant I found the garden of Eden in me. Aaron and Paul looked at each other and looked at me in shock. I could tell there was a little disbelief in them about me receiving a new heart, but oh well, I was filled with so much joy it was breathtaking, and I felt like a breath of new, fresh air.