5. An Invitation
Sarah Maxwell braced herself to endure her first birthday in darkness. She hoped her parents didn’t invite anyone over. Please no. She sighed and felt her way down the stairs.
In the kitchen, her mom hugged her. “Sleep well, sweetheart?”
She smelled like bacon. The whole house smelled of it. But there was another smell, a sweet one, underneath all the bacon.
“Mom, you’re making molasses cookies?” Sarah pointed her nose toward the smell. Molasses was hard to find. Few people used it anymore, but you could find it online or at local homestead farms that made their own.
“Your Nana made molasses cookies for you whenever you went to her house. You’ve always loved them, so I thought—.”
“How’s my beautiful birthday girl?” It was her Dad’s deep baritone.
She turned around and got his big bear hug. She loved his big embrace. It was safe. He was her champion and admirer.
While eating breakfast, Mom talked about some videos she’d seen on how to braid hair. “Lots of people braid their hair and do it by touch since they can’t see the back of their head. I thought we could learn how to do our hair this way. You know, together. I’ve wanted to braid my hair like this for a long time. It’s such a beautiful way to wear your hair.”
Sarah chewed on a mouth full of pancakes. Beautiful. What is that to someone who can’t see? She wanted to be beautiful but didn’t know what that meant now. Curious that her Mom would talk about hair. I get it, God. You heard me complain.
I hear every word you say.
She sucked in a breath and put down her fork. Another wave washed over her. Why was she so weepy today? God, it’s not fair. But love embraced her like a warm blanket. She pushed her plate away, buried her head in her arm atop the table, and started crying. Again.
Her parents were probably exchanging bewildered looks, but she didn’t care. After a few moments, she recovered, lifted her head from the table, and wiped her eyes.
“Sweetie, we don’t have to braid our hair. It was just—”.
“Mom, it’s fine.” She wiped her cheeks with her palms and managed a weak smile in her Mother’s direction. “I think it’s a great idea.” The warmth of her Mother’s hands covered her own.
“Sarah, we—”
Sarah raised her hand and tilted her head. The hum of an electric car pulled into the driveway. “Someone’s here.” Sarah moved to the front door. A familiar voice came from the other side.
“It’s Uncle John!” She opened the door before Uncle John could push the doorbell and stood there smiling.
“Well, hello, beautiful one! You’re just the person I came to see.”
He always called her that, and her smile grew even bigger as she extended her arms for a hug. Uncle John wrapped his arms around her, and they gave each other a long squeeze, and then came a big hug and kiss from Aunt Kate.
“Sarah, I’d like you to meet Jessie Li, a student at the school.”
“Hi Sarah, I’m so glad to meet you.”
A young woman, confident but friendly. Sarah turned her face toward the voice and extended her hand. Two hands wrapped around hers.
“Hi.” Sarah smiled and nodded. She wanted to say something but her mind offered nothing. Her Mom saved her from the awkward moment.
“Everyone come on in and find a seat. Can I get anyone something to drink? We have sodas and ice tea.”
Jo grabbed her arm, and led her to the loveseat, where they both climbed in with their feet off the floor.
Uncle John’s voice came from the right. “Unfortunately, we can’t stay long, but we did bring a gift. Jessie is going to unwrap it for you. She’s a second-year student at the college. One day after class, Jessie came to me and said she had a word for a young woman with long blond hair and blue eyes who had something stolen from her on her birthday. God told her I would know who that was.”
The room went silent. Sarah pressed her lips together as her throat constricted. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Aunt Kate broke the silence. “Sarah, when John told me about it, we knew it was you. We drove here for your birthday so she could deliver the word in person. You’ve seen this done for other people. It’s your turn this time. God wants to say something. Are you ok with all this?”
Sarah turned her face toward Kate’s voice and nodded. She’d seen this kind of thing before. It could get emotional, as if she weren’t already an emotional wreck.
“Ok then. Jessie, you have the floor.”
“Sarah, I’m so excited to meet you. You look exactly like the woman I saw. God has some wonderful things to say to you. Let me pull up my notes. I don’t want to miss anything.”
Sarah turned her face toward Jessie, who sat directly across from her.
“As I was sitting and praying, I saw a young woman with a crown of gold and pale blue eyes the color of the morning sky. But as I looked closer, I noticed the crown was made of her hair. She had the power in her hands to change the shape of her hair, to weave it into different forms. And I knew God gave her the hair and the skill as a gift to adorn her beauty.”
Jo grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear. “See. I told you. You got the gorgeous hair. This is definitely about you.”
Sarah’s eyes filled with tears. God heard her complain about her hair this morning. He was listening. She nodded, but didn’t know what to say.
“That scene ended, and then I saw a locked door. There was a number on the door. 7117.”
Sarah sucked in air and covered her mouth with her hand. Tears filled her eyes again.
“The door opened to me, and I saw the same young woman in the room talking to an angel. He spoke, and the woman wrote the words in a leather-bound book.”
Sarah looked in Aunt Kate’s direction. The leather book was their secret.
Jessie spoke again. “I saw the words as she wrote in the book. ‘You will see the wonders of his loving-kindness as heaven bends to reveal his sons and daughters. You will see what others cannot.’”
Sarah pushed herself back into the couch and drew her knees to her chest. She lowered her forehead to her knees and tried to control her breathing. There was no stopping the tears. She could hear her mother sniffling and feel her sister’s hand on her shoulder. For a while, there were only the sounds of sniffles. The room grew quiet, and Jo squeezed her arm affectionately. Sarah lifted her head and wiped her cheeks with the palms of her hands.
Jessie’s voice broke the silence. “There’s one more thing, Sarah. This seems a little odd, but I’m just going to read what I wrote here.” She paused again. “Yes, you will giggle in the kitchen. That’s what I wrote. Yes, you will giggle in the kitchen. Does that mean anything to you?”
Sarah covered her mouth again as heat flushed her cheeks. She nodded her head but said nothing. The room was quiet again.
Uncle John’s voice was low and measured. “The presence of God is in this place. It seems he’s got our attention. I feel like God wants to say more. Jessie?”
“I believe he does. Sarah, the image of your hair is not just about hair. It’s not just a crown of physical beauty. It’s a mark of God’s anointing upon you. His gifting will mark you as his beloved, and those you meet will recognize his anointing. Wear your beauty as one honoring the one who gave it to you. Does that make sense to you?”
Sarah took a deep breath and nodded in the direction of her voice.
“Now, about the angel. God gave you a dream of the angel speaking a word to you, is that right?”
Sarah nodded.
“And you wrote the words down somewhere, on a tablet or your phone?”
Sarah hesitated. She looked in the direction of Aunt Kate, who divulged their secret.
“I gave her a leather-bound journal for her birthday a few years back. Real leather. Real paper. It was our secret.”
Jessie’s voice. “Leather? And paper? Whoa. So you wrote the angel’s words in this journal?”
Sarah nodded.
“I believe God wants to renew these words to you, to speak them again. His message to you still stands. It has not been revoked or thwarted by circumstances. It is written in his book and in yours.” She paused a moment. “I believe God is calling you to be a Seer. A Seer can see what’s going on in the spiritual realm.”
Her Mom interrupted. “What do you mean? Are you saying she will be able to see angels?”
“Not all Seers are alike in their gift, but yes, she will be able to see angels, demons, things that others cannot see, as the angel in her dream said.”
Jo bumped her. “You get all the good stuff. Not fair.”
“Sarah, hear this.” Jessie’s voice was confident. “Something happened on your birthday, and now you’re in a dark place with no windows and no way to escape. God wants to set you free, to affirm the message he gave you through the dream of the angel. He has not changed his mind. He’s speaking the same words to you again. The devil meant to crush the message, but God will turn that evil into your stepping stone and lead you into places beyond your imagination. It’s not a coincidence that all this is happening on your birthday.”
The room went silent. Jessie broke the silence. She seemed unsure this time. “Ok. If I’m reading body language right, things just got uncomfortable. What’s going on?”
Silence.
Sarah turned her face toward Uncle John. “Does she know?” Sarah’s voice was shaky.
Aunt Kate broke the silence. “We didn’t tell her, Sarah.”
Jessie wouldn’t know. Most people didn’t on first introductions. She made it a habit to always turn her face toward whoever was talking rather than stare blankly. It masked her blindness to the less observant.
The awkward moment didn’t last long, and Sarah let her parents tell the story. Jessie and Uncle John prayed for her, and then there was a round of hugs as they started out the door. The last hug came from Jessie, with a whisper.
“We will walk beside each other in the future. We’ll be like two princess warriors and help one another. I’ll see you soon.”
Sarah squeezed her tightly. Soon? Did she know something else? She wanted to ask but only whispered, “Thank you.”
And then everyone was gone, and the front door clicked closed. The hum of an electric car faded until there was only the gentle breathing and body warmth of her mother next to her.
“That Jessie girl was something else. Can you imagine being able to hear God like that?”
“You hear God, Mom.”
“Well, I feel him motivate me sometimes, like when I read the Bible.”
“Or when you said we should learn to braid our hair. That was God, you know.”
“Hmm. I guess it was.”
Sarah sighed. God was calling her out. He wanted to reconnect, to be close like they once were. Even closer. Like Jessie.
“Will Uncle John and Aunt Kate come back?”
Her mother brushed a few strands of hair from her face and tucked them behind her ear. “Uncle John said he’d return next week to check on you.” Her mother took a long breath and let it out slowly.
“What is it, Mom? What are you not saying?”
Her mother sighed. “He wants you to live with him and Aunt Kate for a while and maybe attend the school where he teaches.”
Sarah chewed her lower lip. The school where Jessie was going. The thought called to her, like an adventurous hiking trail promising to reveal a hidden waterfall. And it scared her—navigating halls and classrooms and people in the dark by herself.
Her mom wrapped a warm arm around her shoulder. “What do you think about that?”
Sarah breathed deeply and pondered life away from the safety of home.
Come away with me my beautiful one, and we will do more than you could ever imagine.
He tugged at her heart, calling her away. I have a pretty big imagination, you know. It’s going to be hard to top it.
I’m up to the challenge.
He smiled at her. She felt it. A deep ache swelled in her chest. He had always been there, listening, waiting for her attention. He was calling to her to come closer, to walk with him in an adventure. She pressed her lips together. Yes.
Sarah turned to her mother and gave her a long and tight hug. Her mother’s voice was gentle and kind.
“It’s ok, sweetheart. There’s no rush.”
Sarah didn’t have the heart to tell her mom that the hug was to say goodbye. To live here for the rest of her life, playing it safe, staying inside until she grew old. The safety of that choice felt like a slow death. She couldn’t stay here. Life called to her. God called to her. His invitation tugged at her insides—to be a princess warrior beside Jessie.
“Mom. Let’s learn how to braid our hair.”
When she crawled into bed that night, things were different. Something in her was waking up, like a wind blowing on the embers of a neglected campfire. Flames were appearing again.
“God, thank you for a wonderful birthday.”
Stay close, my beautiful one, and I will fill your days with wonder.
Sarah smiled and replayed the events of the day as she drifted off to sleep. She awoke feeling refreshed, stretching her arms and legs.
“She wakes.”
Sara sat up and pulled the covers around her. A large man stood looking out her bedroom window, just on the other side of the nightstand. He had a sword strapped to his hip and glowed from within so that the light coming from him cast faint outlines of the wall, window, and nightstand.
“Good. I’m going to make the rounds.”
She jerked her head toward the bedroom door. She saw the glowing form of another one standing just outside her door. The faint outline of her door and its frame faded as he walked away. She looked back at the one standing by the window, then quietly felt for the phone on her dresser, pressed it to her ear, and whispered. “Call Aunt Kate.” The man at the window didn’t seem to notice her.
A groggy voice answered. “Sarah? It’s five in the morning. Is everything—”
“Aunt Kate!” She whispered, keeping her eye on the glowing man standing at her window. “I see angels!”
The angel turned and looked at her.