Page 116 of Lightning Angel

“Yes, are you Alexa Ford?” he asked in a deep but gentle voice.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “You know me?”

The man grinned. “Not until a bit ago. Actually, I was sent by someone to see you.”

Her eyebrows rose higher. “And who might that be?”Tristan?

“Jesus.”

Alexa’s heart stopped for a moment before it galloped.

The man grinned wide at her shocked face, as though he found it highly amusing. He had to be joking, truly.

“Nice joke.” She forced an amused smile.

“No, seriously.” The man held up his hands in front of him and gestured toward one of the chairs in the room. “May I come in? I can tell you everything.”

Alexa eyed him suspiciously for a moment, and then glanced over her phone on the table and the call button near the bed. If he attempted something—

“I have a little sister I love dearly, and seeing you remind me of her. I would never harm you, you have my word.” The man touched a hand to his heart in a sincere gesture.

“Alright.” She shrugged and gestured to him to come in.

The man grinned and walked inside, and grabbed a chair for him. He motioned her to take the one opposite from him after he sat down. Alexa did, watching his every move. He seemed amiable, but she wouldn’t let down her guard.

“I’m Haxsel.” The man offered his hand. Alexa accepted it reluctantly. “Haxsel Houston.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said half-heartedly and withdrew her hand. “How do you know me again?”

“Man, He told me you won’t believe me easily.” Haxsel chuckled to himself and shook his head slightly, his smile fond, as though he was talking about a dear friend. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “But I’m gonna try my best to make you do so. You see, my fiancée and I are visiting a friend hers, but Jesus gave me a certain room number and told me to find you. He wanted me to tell you that,” he paused with a gentle look in his eyes. “He loves you.Jesusloves you.”

A strange feeling wrapped around her wounded heart, like a healing thread, but Alexa fought against it. “Trust me. I’ve heard that a lot of times. It’s old news to me.”

“Why do you feel like it is old news?” Haxsel asked, calmly.

“I don’tfeellike it’s old news; itisold news to me.”

“Because you think Jesus didn’t hear your prayers and bring back your mother? Because He didn’t heal your dad from cancer and let him die? Because you think just because you didn’t get what you asked for, He doesn’t care for you and has abandoned you? Let me enlighten you, Alexa, you’ve been wrong all this time.”

Alexa stared at him dumbstruck.How?She couldn’t even utter that one-word question.

The patience painted on Haxsel’s features or the gentle and understanding look in his eyes didn’t waver as he continued. “Do youstillrefuse to believe that Jesus sent me to you?”

But Alexa couldn’t respond. She was tongue-tied.

Haxsel smiled softly, as though he understood she was too shocked to speak. “Jesus has never once closed His eyes to your tears or His ears to the cries of your heart. He has always been there, watching over you, taking care of you. And the tragedies in your life… that’s His way of molding you into the person He wants you to be, to make you His beloved child, the one He shed the last drop of His blood on Calvary for. All the pain, it had a purpose—ithasa purpose. Can you deny it?”

Alexa still made no response but kept staring at him, his words thawing the ice settled in the hole of her heart.

“Surely, you cannot deny that theonething you count most beautiful came into your life along with the pain you endured. No, it became a part of your lifeamidyour pain and tragedy, and tragedyitselfbrought it to you in the first place.” Haxsel paused with a brotherly smile. “The boy you love.

“Don’t you think Jesus sent him to you? Of course He did. The tragedies and the pain in your life were Jesus’ way of bringing you two together and writing your destinies,renewingyou. I admit we won’t like it when God takes matters into His hands, but it always works out for good in the end—I’m a living example of that.” Haxsel gestured to himself and chuckled softly.

He sighed when Alexa yet again didn’t make a reaction, his facial expression sober and sincere. “He told me all this so you would believe what I’m saying is true.His message for you, though, is simple; He loves you. He has never abandoned you, and He is waiting with open arms. Whatever you seek, you can only find in Him. So, turn to Him.”

Alexa finally moved from her frozen stature and ran her hands through her hair before dropping her face into them. “This is—this is so hard to believe.”

“Loving and trusting Jesus is both the easiest andnotthe easiest things in the world, I know. It comes at a price that, while it doesn’t come close to the love He has for us, we hesitate and hold back from giving it to Him. I have too, but I learned it eventually, in a way I’ll never forget.”

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