Colin stared at his ceiling, wide
awake. How could he sleep after a day
like today? He had gone to school for some of his late afternoon classes,
though it wasn’t easy to focus. He would have to work on that.
A
sudden wind in Colin’s ear made him jerk upright. He could still feel the
tickle. And the words that came with it—Get
up! He caught his breath and looked to his right, surprised to see a pair
of bright green eyes shining in the dark room. It took a moment for him to
recognize the boy, but soon he saw that it was none other than—
Adrian.
Adrian pulled at Colin’s
wrist so that he could feel his fast pulse beat against the boy’s warm fingers.
“Colin,
you have to get up. Now! I have to show you something.”
“You
scared me half to death! How did you get in here?”
“Never
mind that. Just get up!”
Colin
swung himself out of bed and watched the little boy back away and stare up at
him. He shook his head and muttered to himself, “Is this ever gonna end?”
“No,
Colin, it won’t.”
Colin
was caught off guard—he had meant to say it to himself, but of course the boy
was there, and of course he would hear and have a clever response like that.
“Alright.”
He grabbed his t-shirt off the floor and pulled it on. “Where are we going?”
The
boy smiled and took his hand. Adrian’s
hand was swallowed in his—it was so delicate, so innocent. He swallowed.
“Just
follow me, Colin. I’m gonna show you something amazing.” The boy’s eyes danced
with wonder, and Colin couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t hesitate this time.
“Alright,
I think I can handle that.” Adrian
laughed out loud, and Colin wondered if his family could hear him.
“Maybe
you should be quiet, my family is asleep,” Colin whispered as they walked down
the hallway. But this time he just giggled louder, and Colin found his own
voice joining in.
Adrian pulled him all the
way out the door, until they stood in Colin’s front lawn. That’s where he
stopped and looked up at the sky. Colin followed his gaze, looking for
something—unusual. All he could see were the stars, but Adrian seemed overcome by them when he
glanced down at his lifted face. The biggest grin quickly turned into a
reverent awe, then back to the grin. Colin looked up again, aching to
experience whatever had captured this little boy.
“Look,
Colin. Aren’t they amazing?”
“Yes—yes
they are.” But he wished he could see more. Adrian saw something he didn’t. He didn’t
take their beauty for granted.
Suddenly
Adrian moved
his head to look at Colin. The enchantment in his face faded, and they stared
at each other, confident little boy and lost grown man. Why couldn’t he be like
this child? Then the boy uttered something he didn’t anticipate.
“Colin,
feel my pulse.” He took Colin’s fingers and placed them on his own wrist. The
steady sensation of a beating heart flowed through his fingers and seemed to
reach the rest of his body. This was life.
“Now,
feel your own.” Without waiting for the boy to do it for him, he placed his own
thumb over his left wrist and felt the pulse. His pulse.
“Do
you feel something?”
“Of
course I do.”
The
boy smiled.
“That
means you’re alive!” Colin was in disbelief at the simplicity of Adrian’s words.
“Yeah?”
“Yes,
and that means you can do things.”
Colin
swallowed hard.
“Yeah?
And what kinds of things am I supposed to do?”
Adrian’s eyes twinkled
with mischief. He replied, “Great things.” The boy looked back up at the stars
and breathed in loudly.
“Can
you hear them? Can you sense them?” he asked.
“What?”
Colin responded.
“The
angels. They like to dance with the stars at night. But they’re here, too.” He
spread his arms out and spun around once. “All around us. I love it, ‘cus they
carry Daddy’s presence.”
“Daddy?”
“Yes—God!”
Colin felt like he shouldn’t breathe, like the air surrounding this child was
too sacred to breathe. So he remained quiet for the moment and tried to think
of what to say to this.
“Yeah…that’s
amazing” was what came out of Colin’s mouth. Adrian looked at him again and seemed to be
contemplating something very important.
“Colin,
I need you to do something for me.”
Keith Green had an eternal mindset, just as all of us as Christians should. In the book, Melody clearly revealed his weaknesses and struggles and the processes he had to go through. Keith never gave up. He kept growing until the very end, not willing to compromise his faith. Though he may have made some mistakes along the way, he didn't seem to be afraid of anything. It seems to me that this is probably a major reason why his impact and ministry are still going strong today. He wasn't afraid to take risks, so I would venture to say he didn't have any regrets.