A Tale Of Souls Cities
Greetings from Souls City, the haven for the lost and forgotten. We’ve dwelled here for ages, and I am the spokesman, your point of contact from here on out. If you attempt to breach our realm, even by familial ties, you may be banned from any future contacts.
We comprise a tight-knit colony of lost souls, often questioned about our purpose. Our mission is to collect the forgotten of the two cities. Some call us the trash collectors of sorts. Are these souls truly discardable refuse? To some, perhaps. Yet they are more than just trash; they are the overlooked and the disregarded. Our task is to gather those souls who are lost and forgotten. Who decides their status? Some say it’s humanity, but others would say fate. But regardless, our duty is to rescue these souls.
There are those who say there is another city that collects the righteous and the ones who are called to a purpose and have hope. I’ve asked about this place, and I haven’t received a conformation that this city exists. I believe it does. I’m considering venturing out of my city limits to conduct a more comprehensive investigation. As I have mentioned before, I am the spokesman for Souls City, so it seems fitting that I would be the one to deliver any news of a potential tale of two cities to the community.
So, with that being said, I pack up and gather my tools and supplies to make the trip. Souls City is a desolate land; there is no green grass, no green trees, and no colors of any kind; It’s just black and white. That defines our position in humanity. We are lost in color, and only think in yes or no. There is no gray here. Our minds are bound to the present, and there is a limited vocabulary. There are several words that are foreign in our land and one of them is hope. Souls City is devoid of hope, and that’s okay for now. We have dwelt in hopelessness for years, and that doesn’t seem to bother anyone here. So why change?
Finally, I’m all packed up. I have everything I need to make this exploration. There are a handful of souls here to see me off. In the depths of their being, I sense a yearning for me to return with the story of a city overflowing with promise.
A city that is hopeful and a city that brings life to humanity. In the deepest part of my being, I desire this as well. That’s the purpose of my exploration.
I take my first steps toward the unknown. You don’t need much when you have no hope. All you need is a little of this and a little of that. When there is no hope and no promise of tomorrow, it doesn’t take much to transport you to the next place.
I’ve been walking this path for days now, and I still haven’t found a city of hope. I’ve traveled east and west. I’ve been north and south, but still no sign of a new city. The land here is as barren as the North Sea. There is nothing but wave after wave of hopelessness. I thought I knew what an absence of hope was until this exploration. I mentioned that hope is not a word in Souls City, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know about it.
After several months, I still see no trace of this city some claim exists. At this point, I haven’t surrendered hope—not that I had much to lose to begin with. How long is this going to take? I wasn’t sure, but it really doesn’t matter at this point, anyway. Even finding my way back seems improbable. I am in a land that is so desperate that the sand makes conversation to stay in existence.
Years have elapsed since then. The count eludes me, yet I know my absence isn’t consequential to those in Souls City. Well, perhaps a few of those souls might be on the lookout for me, though that’s likely my hopelessness speaking. As the years have passed, I have persisted day by day and week by week, searching for that elusive city that might bring hope. If such a place exists, perhaps they know the location of Souls City and can point me back in that direction. I am not only lost, but completely dead to myself. Some may deem it hopeless, but to me, it’s simply life.
As I look ahead, about to take what seems like my last breath, I notice something in the distance. Step after step, day after day, I have inched closer to this city’s edge. I collapse by the sign that reads, “Hopeful City – Where Lives Are Changed and Grace is Given Freely.” I found it! I found it! Tears stream down my face and flood my soul. Is this real? Hope flows into my soul, bringing new life into my weary body, just from reading the sign at the city limits. I am exhausted and crushed but given new life at this moment.
I have found this new city—a place of stories woven with grace and mercy, a haven of hope. Its inhabitants rush out to meet me, eager to know where I have traveled from. My answer is simple. “I’ve traveled a long distance over many years from a place devoid of hope. That place, Souls City, needs you all. They live in a city that doesn’t have hope.” They recognized the name of the city; its where they all came from many years ago. With that, they all band together and load up to make a trip back to Souls City to share with the people the reason for their hope.
So, it turns out the tale of two cities is true. There is hope through mercy and grace. While they may appear parallel in nature, only one focuses on the vertical dimension. In this vertical alignment, we discover the source of hope, mercy, and grace.
