Heaven On Earth

By Alis Cerrahyan

Even though we all; young and old, continue to yearn for an undisturbed existence, peace is not always an easy accomplishment in someone's life. As a matter of fact; the more one prays to have harmony in their life, the more turmoil they seem to attract. So; based on that statement, peace might be nothing but a limited period of time during which there is no disturbance.

But is it possible to attain peace during all sorts of opposition and aggravation? The answer is "yes"for those who have learned to tune out the noisy pollution of the world by focusing on expressing their gratitude for a life that happens to be a gift from their Maker. Of course; this could never work as a mere mindset. It actually needs to become a strong belief in order to lead us to the greener pastures upon which we get to rest as long as we want.

This beautiful story belongs to each and every one of us who happens to be striving to find the right balance between the submission of the mind to the One who created it, the humility of the soul, and the taming of the tongue. The good news is; we are constantly enrolling in those classes, whether we like it or not, hoping to run into our God-given identity. The sooner we decide to acknowledge this truth and make it a priority; the more gallantly we will be able to enjoy this glorious life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alis Cerrahyan
• Release date: Sep 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393436676

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Ihave never heard anyone say, I want to take the rougher road; the one that happens to be full of mistakes and bad choices, packed with moments of despair. And while I’m at it; I might as well damage my future in such a way that I will be limping for the rest of my life, just so people will always remember me as a failure. I don’t believe such a person exists. However; looking back to observe some of life’s monumental milestones, one could easily detect a few hardships that could have been avoided, should there have been some wisdom filled guidance. It’s not so much that one refuses assistance just so they can err even more mightily, but it’s that one may not always choose the right source of enlightenment.

Wisdom can be passed down from generation to generation in the form of precepts, traditions, dogmas, observances or religions. According to some estimates, there are approximately four thousand two hundred religions around the world; Christianity being the largest followed by Islam. And most everyone takes pride in their own sacred rituals; believing wholeheartedly their choice has got to be the right one. Personally; I am grateful for the fact that the days of religious crusades are long gone. Yet pockets of extremists are still highly capable of disrupting the global peace in the name of some god figure.

Of course, we are not talking about the One who created the world and everything in it. Because that would be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who gave his only begotten son; through whom we are not to be trapped or feel trapped in any kind of darkness. The actual cross upon which Christ died is exactly where many of us believers go to exchange personal surrender for hope and holy wisdom; just so we will be able to walk the path less traveled, with steady steps, making sure we end up doing exactly what we were created to do: developing an eternal fellowship with God. His Hebrew name יהוה doesn’t contain vowels because it is too sacred to be uttered. Therefore it is vocally replaced by the Hebrew word Adonai; which was later translated as Kyros; both meaning Lord.

Unlike the mountaintop feeling of an idyllic afterlife that God is promising his creation; the temporary darknesses are the valleys of our earthly presence. They are known to be restrictive and somewhat stifling. Though they can also be highly challenging at times; given our God-given attributes, we are still supremely overqualified for the endeavor. Our optimism can turn them into opportunities through which we get to expose some of the inner qualities we have been given from the get-go. A sally that follows such determination is an instant lift to the summit which once may have seemed near impossible. Only then do we start attracting the spectators’ regard and respect. And if we are lucky enough to have inspired a few others along the way; we have plenty more to celebrate. The main key is to keep going in a forward direction. In doing so; we will realize sooner or later that life is no different than riding a bike. We must keep moving in order to keep our balance.

Ideally; a soft and hopeful dark that precedes the sunrise can be quite a rewarding place to visit every now and then. Not only does it serve as a makeshift oasis, but it’s also where the profundity of our dormant yet blissful silence starts birthing a new step toward a better outcome. That is; of course, if we are still looking to exercise our legal and moral entitlements. However; if exhaustion has already taken the wind out of our sails and we have decided to make one of those irksome pitfalls our permanent domain; all we have to do is to hide behind fear and frustration until it is magnified to goliathan dimensions. Our effortless surrender will help us conform to the curtailment of lower standards until we no longer possess neither the hope nor the desire to excel.

This God of ours is different in so many ways. As long as we believe in his promises and depend on him exclusively; He is generous beyond measure. His unconditional love is eternal. Our failures can’t reduce its intensity. Nor will our earthly achievements add to it. He sees us all as equal and expects us to respect one another because He has invested, in each and everyone of us, a certain potential He sees as uniquely valuable. Not only does God instruct us to turn the other cheek and love one another, but He also commands us to pray for our enemies. Even though He has given us free will; God will not tolerate our hostile approach toward those who haven’t been able to see him as the only living God. It’s quite possible that they need a few extra detours before they get there. All God wants from us is to tell others about his unconditional love; just so they will gladly choose his plans over theirs, and they will gladly desire to pursue his ways rather than following their own agenda.

A good part of God’s greatest plan for humanity starts unfolding when He ordains something so inexplicable that we are at a loss without his holy interpretation. That’s when He sends us the Holy Spirit, our Mediator, who teaches us to accept that which we cannot change; to redefine courage in order to make the necessary adjustments; and to receive the kind of wisdom that will help us grow through it all.

True; nothing comes our way without God’s permission.Yet the humbling incidents of our lives are never meant to break us to pieces, so we will end up harboring bitterness toward God. That is not the kind of God we serve. And since He has already walk the walk on this earth and tasted what bitter disappointments and cunning betrayals feel like; He already knows what we are up against. So the obstacles God tends to approve are supposed to bring forth the inner strength and the higher qualities we happen to possess from birth. He has placed them there. Therefore; He helps us unveil the power within, piece by piece; just so we will learn to put them to good use.

Though none of us deserves it; God’s help is limitless. Unlike us, God doesn’t form his opinions based on our good and bad behaviors. He weighs and measures our intent, our potential, and our limitations. We ought to be eternally thankful for God’s grace through which all his dealings are being filtered; and so we always end up enduring the consequences of lesser degree.

So do we ever wonder where the rest of the world will end up going once they depart from this world? Do we have a problem thinking that they might go to the same place of eternal fellowship with our God? My prayer is that we won’t ever find ourselves wishing they end up in hell. Not only is such a prayer against God’s will, but it certainly is against the meaning and the purpose of the cross; since Christ chose to die for us all, way before we were even born. And the entire sacrifice was to display God’s unconditional love for all mankind; including those we don’t quite care for.

CHAPTER 1

He ran home; his cheeks flushed with excitement. This time he knew he would conquer his heart. There was no way around it. He ran up the stairs that led to the second floor and darted through the narrow hallway. He found him sitting on the sofa; just as expected, with his face buried in his favorite sports page of the newspaper. It was his choice of venue where a certain level of smugness found its outlet; especially if one of his favorite teams were being praised. He would take it all in as if he was the one receiving approval and validation. It was never about the team. A-ha, Henry heard him say; ... come here, boy; and see what a real winner looks like. And memorize it like your life depends on it.

Henry looked at the picture representing this young soccer player with the ball at the tip of his cleat; taken right before he is about to score the winning goal. It was a great shot. Its slightly upward angle showed his focus and enthusiasm hand in hand; elevated from the rest, as if he is about to touch the clouds. It also included two of his teammates’ drooly expressions as if they were convinced he was known to be the best for the task. Henry nodded his head in agreement while handing him the report card; his only pride and joy, and said; I have the highest grades in the entire classroom! His pop took one quick look with a chilling indifference before slapping him across the face as he shouted at the top of his lungs; I am going to give you one more chance to tell me the truth, boy.

That all-consuming panic rose out of nowhere almost immediately. Henry’s little body started shaking uncontrollably as if he was having an epileptic seizure. Other than feeling the wetness around his private area, he couldn’t speak, see, or hear anything. He already knew crying wasn’t meant for boys; unless he was ‘asking for a harder whack,’ as his father would put it. So; he decided to take a shortcut and acknowledge the futility of his so-called good news. All he could taste was that metallic flavor between his clenched teeth which he had known all too well as the prequel to his infamous blackouts.

This was nowhere near what Henry had expected. With the tiniest effort to smooth things over, he whispered; I swear... The man howled again; this time with added cockiness to his rather expert opinion; If you don’t tell me the truth right now, I am going to have a talk with your teacher tomorrow morning. I will see to it that you regret lying to me!

Henry was sent to his room without supper that night. He still didn’t know what had made his father so angry. All he knew was the fact that his teacher had congratulated him for having achieved the highest grades in the classroom before handing him the report card. And he had ran home to put a smile on his pop’s face; something he hadn’t seen for a long time.

Though he was used to being punished quite often without any explanation; this time was different. It was almost the complete opposite of what he had expected as if not one thing about life was meant to make sense. And maybe that was the only notion his little seven year old mind needed to embrace. Henry placed the palm of his right hand against the still throbbing red welt his pop’s open-handed smack had left behind, and gently rubbed the grooves of the imprints. He felt lost. Now he knew for sure there wasn’t anything he could do to make this man happy. The weight of this final defeat continued to pound his bruised heart as he placed his frail body against the clumps of his mattress and closed his eyes. His only hope was the teacher. He prayed she hadn’t lied to him.

He might as well have been a little mouse in the classroom the next day. He didn’t utter a word; which was a bit unusual for him. The school was the only place where he happened to have an identity. He relished it just like he did his momma’s warm apple pie. Ms. Maggie approached his desk. Is everything alright with you Henry? she asked. He didn’t want to alert her. So he nodded with a nonchalant shrug as he tried to appear fine. Seemingly satisfied with his response; she turned around and started addressing the class about their new assignment.

Henry was relieved to see her walk away. He didn’t know whether or not his father had already talked to Ms. Maggie. Her answer would have been a matter of life and death at this point. Being left in the dark and not knowing what he had done to upset the man to this extent was killing him. It was far worse than the beatings! He was used to those.

He wished he could have stayed there forever. Going home that evening was hard. He walked in with his eyes fixed on the floor; afraid of making eye contact. He had barely reached his bedroom door when his father appeared out of nowhere and hissed through his teeth; I paid a visit to your teacher this morning. I asked her to explain how you could possibly have the highest grades in the classroom with two B’s on your report card.

Henry took a deep breath; almost afraid to release it as if it could have been his last. He was terrified of what he was about to find out; since his father’s anger hadn’t subsided even one bit as he heard him scoff once again; Ms. Maggie says the rest of the classroom isn’t doing well at all. That’s how you happen to have the highest grades. What you have accomplished so far, you stupid boy, is like stealing acorns from a blind pig. Don’t think, even for one second, that you’re anything special; you hear!

Henry nodded. Since he hadn’t expected hugs and apologies; feeling relieved to see the storm pass once more without further damage was all the reward he needed for now. He gently turned the doorknob to release the latch before entering his bedroom. Making the same effort to shut the door was just as crucial, since his father hated sounds in the house; especially if he was predicting Henry might slam the door in retaliation. And Henry knew all too well the man was prepared to take action. So he decided to give it a rest. It wasn’t worth it.

He walked straight to his rickety wooden desk and leaned against it; afraid of getting too comfortable. That was the spot where he felt the most powerful. That’s exactly where he had been feeding every hunger he had ever known in silent acquiescence, plunging into the broader horizons of knowledge, in hopes of escaping the brutal reality some day. He believed; without the shadow of a doubt, he would leave all this behind and never look back, just like his momma had done. And knowing what it was like to be around the man, Henry couldn’t blame her for walking out on him.

That is; of course, if he could extenuate the fact that her departure had made Henry’s life a living hell. Though he didn’t know at the time that they would never see one another again; a good part of him was also extremely relieved over the fact that his momma was finally walking away from the hellhole. He was tired of seeing her constant grief and unending state of anxiety. Every time the doors started slamming left and right; Henry always knew the shouting match was about to begin. His poor momma’s pleading whimpers would soon be obliterated by his father’s cacophony that quickly rose to a crescendo of fury. She had begged Henry not to interfere; lest her punishment would be stricter. So Henry always stood there in silence, pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth in order to stop the tears. He wanted for his father’s cruel mouth to stop slurring her integrity. She obviously was weaker than him and didn’t really have a place to go... until she did one fateful day.

Henry knew the poor woman was forced to believe the harsh treatment was all she deserved for being nothing but a failure. She was all eaten up by that victim mentality; having no hope to even walk away alive. Nor did she even care to survive. Her shadow being her new identity, without marrow nor substance; she truly believed she couldn’t possibly care for her little boy. She was slain to smithereens by the torments she had endured for many years. Why else would she leave her only child behind and disappear someday? The brink of her insanity was no place for the innocent. And taking such a huge chance with Henry’s future would have been way too much for her to bear. So she had resigned to the