The Room
				--------

    There is a room that is dark and dreary.  Light shines through the
window with its cracked, broken, dusty panes, but the light cannot pierce
the darkness of the shadows in the room.  A cold chill fills the room, so
cold it makes one's bones ache.  In the corner is a small bed; hard, cold,
and uninviting.  Paint crumbles from the bare walls.  A broken door hangs
strangely from a single hinge.  This room tho long abandoned was once a
beautiful room.  It was bright and happy. No cloud could dim the light that
shone through the window.  A loving warmth filled the room.  The walls were
filled with memories; the door was strong.  The bed in the corner was once
large, warm, and alluring, a refuge.
     But when the room was abandoned it began to decay, because there was
noone left to care for it.  The bed of warmth shrank to be cold and repul-
sive.  The window panes cracked, and even on bright cloudless days the room
was dark.  When the door was broken the warmth left and a terrible chill
took its place.  The room began to cry out in pain and the walls grew bare
as the memories fled.
     Then after all would seem lost, another person came, and repaired the
room.  First the door was made whole so that warmth could fill it again.
Then the window was fixed and the room was even brighter than before.  Once
again the walls were filled with happy memories, and the bed became large
and warm. Never again would this room grow dim or cold or bare, because the
windows would never crack, the door would never break, and the walls would
never peel.  This room was made larger so that more people could live in it.
The more people that came the larger the room became.  The room continues
to grow, even to this day, as more people come into it.
     This room is my heart.  The person that left was my first true love.
The one that fixed things up and made the room bigger was Jesus.  He had
always been there, but when my love left, things were so gloomy I could not
see.  Now I have room for everyone, even my love, for she never really left;
but I did not know that, until Jesus showed me.
     In my grief and despair I let my heart become dark and cold, and I
thought I was alone.  Then I let Jesus take control and He cleared my eyes
so that I could see the room was still bright and warm, and now it has
enough room for all of my friends and more.  Once again there is joy in my
heart, all because I asked Jesus to take control.

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