THE FORGOTTEN VOICE 2!!!🗣️

At this point, Bella was starting to wish she had stayed back home longer. The sermon doesn't seem like it would end anytime soon and Bella was getting irritated because it felt like its been forever since the pastor started preaching. She noticed that some of the congregation had dozed off. She stretched a little and kept her attention to the front and tried to listen to what the pastor was saying.

            The pastor was now talking about receiving the Holy Spirit and how it was a permanent gift. The pastor then went on to say, no matter how terrible things can be, the Holy Spirit is our comforter and he won't ever fail us. He'll never leave us and He's always ready to listen to everything we all have to say to make us feel comfort, peace, and love.

Bella snorted. 

What was the pastor saying? The Holy Spirit does not leave? He's always ready to listen to us? Indeed. He had left her at her most crucial moment. She had needed Him the most but He had deserted her for no reason and what? Does the Holy Spirit listen to everything we have to say to give us comfort? It was the wall of her bedroom that does that for her not the Holy Spirit.

The pastor continued talking about how Man often let themselves be blinded by their grief forgetting about their comforter who is supposed to give them comfort. He said the Holy Spirit is still comforting them but they've chosen to let their situation overcome the relationship they have with the Holy Spirit. He said they have now pushed Him to a corner where all the life situations they've taken into their hands alone have drowned out the voice of their comforter who at times like that was supposed to be their best friend and comforter.

Bella sat up. What was the Pastor saying? The Holy Spirit doesn't leave? Has he's been pushed to a corner? How? If He had spoken to her then she would have known wouldn't she? She hadn't felt His presence after the funeral of her sister and she knew she never asked him to leave or pushed him to a corner so what was the pastor saying? Has she let the situation take control over all the areas of her life that she had drowned out God in everything? 

Suddenly Bella closed her eyes recalling some events that had happened to start from the funeral of her sister. She had in the arms of Paulina in the funeral crying and feeling like life as she knows it was over for her without her sister when a poster hung up in the church had caught her eyes. It had the scripture passage, 

 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make   your paths straight." 

Proverbs3:5-6(NIV)

Slowly, Bella started recalling other events where her eyes caught some words that gave her hope when she needed it, some songs that would play, words that people would say that would completely relate to what she was going through then and also that one time when Bella had gone to visit Rose's grave after her last conversation with her brother Tyler.

 Bella had sat on the floor crying and telling Rose everything Tyler had said and how empty life felt. When she was leaving the cemetery she had looked up at the sky to see a rainbow and when she got home, her mom was playing a hymn titled all will be well. Looking back now, Bella felt tears streaming down her face, looks like the Holy Spirit never left her at all, she was the one who had felt she could handle all her problems on her own and didn't need anyone. 

The Holy Spirit had been communicating to her all this while but she had forgotten completely about Him. She has let her sorrow, anger, and grief drown out His voice. She had forgotten His voice.

Just then, the pastor rounded up the sermon and started a prayer of re-dedication and forgiveness.

 Bella went down on her knees and for the first time in a long time, she bowed her head and prayed tears rolling down her cheeks telling the Holy Spirit how sorry she is after the last amen Bella felt somewhat better and had a little peace within but despite all this Bella still felt something was missing. She didn't know what it was but she felt like she had most of the answers she needed and felt no need to stay back anymore after the service. After the benediction, Bella waved bye to Summer and headed home feeling better than she had in a while.

With Love,

Grazie.