The Argon Redemption

Tom Hardy was a quiet, unpretentious man.  When he was young, everyone called him Tommy.  He hated that name, it made him sound like a baby.  When his parents were mad at him for some transgression, whether real or imagined, they called him Thomas.  He learned to hate that name too. 1

  Tom worked on the thirtieth floor of a fortune 500 company.  As an office clerk, he was a minor cog on a billion dollar corporate machine.  Each day he went quietly about his work.  No one ever talked to him unless they had to.  At times they made him feel invisible.  No one knew anything about him, and no one cared to either. 2

  The only bright spot in his life was his library.  Tom was a voracious reader.  He loved his books and he loved to learn.  Locked in his library amongst thousands of books, he could go anywhere, do anything, be anyone he wanted to be.  The world was at his fingertips, filled with information and discoveries just waiting to be found.  The only drawback to Tom’s quest for knowledge, was the conflict which occasionally arose from different schools of thought.  His greatest dilemma was the debate between evolution and creation.  His religious upbringing was strong and convincing, yet the scientific explanations were backed by hard physical evidence.  Which was correct?  Could they both be?  Could there be a third alternative?  Tom loved the challenge of trying to unravel mysteries like this.  He never solved any tough ones, but that never stopped him from trying. 3

  One night, Tom was cloistered in his library reading, Beyond The Observatory, by Harlow Shapley, a renowned professor of astronomy.  One particular subject seized his attention and held it tightly.  Argon.  Noblest of the noble gases.  It is the product of radioactive decay deep within the Earth.  It can neither be created nor destroyed by man.  It has always been here and always will.  Tom’s imagination was sparked by Mr. Shapley’s words.  With each breath, we inhale some of the very same atoms of argon which were inhaled by the dinosaurs and the cavemen, by the ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans. 4

  Tom looked up from the book and stared at the wall while contemplating the words.  He reread the passage, then read it again.  The implications were fantastic.  Tom started thinking aloud, “Just think, with each breath I take, I am inhaling atoms of argon which were inside the body of Jesus Christ!  How many great people throughout history have exhaled the very same atoms I just inhaled?” 5

  A list of famous people started flashing through his mind.  A blur of names raced faster and faster.  He wondered if each life could be affected in some small way by coming in contact with these people in such an anonymous yet intimate way.  He became exhilarated as he watched the list grow.  Suddenly, he snapped back to reality when one of the names slapped him in the face.  Hitler!  Tom cringed at the thought, “I just exhaled argon which was in the lungs of Adolph Hitler.”  Then a new list started to grow and crawl behind his eyes.  It contained every evil person from every history book he’d ever read.  All the cruel emperors, mad kings, sadists, rapists…... and mass murderers began to appear.  “STOP!  I can’t stand it.  How can I share the breath of these creatures and not be affected?” 6

  Tom buried his face in his hands, completely unnerved  by this incredible chain of thoughts.  He held his head, trying to steady it, as a carousel of ideas and faces twirled frantically in his brain.  The spinning gradually stopped.  Tom looked up with a blank expression which slowly turned into a smile.  His eyes now gleamed.  While running blindly through a jungle of thoughts, he had stumbled onto a hidden treasure, a very simple, yet profound idea which was waiting to be discovered.  He studied it and admired it from every angle and wondered if anyone else had ever wandered down this same path of thoughts. 7

  Jesus could heal the sick, make the blind see and cast out evil spirits with the touch of His hand.  Everything He touched was blessed.  Was everything that touched Him also blessed?  Was the argon which passed through His lungs also blessed?  What if every atom of argon which Jesus exhaled had been blessed with His Holy Spirit?  Those same atoms are here now being breathed in every minute of every day by every person on Earth. 8

How different the world would be today if all humanity throughout the centuries had been receiving the Holy Spirit with every breath?  Would there be global peace?  Would people be more passive?  Would science be more advanced or would it stagnate?  Would the Earth be taxed to its limits by a population which grew unchecked by crime and war? 9

  So many questions.  So many possibilities.  Tom’s imagination was sailing on uncharted waters searching for an island; an island filled with answers.  Of course, this was just wild speculation based on improbable theories.  But what if…. Tom stopped.  What if this was all true?  What if the argon was blessed by Jesus?  Considering the current state of affairs, how horrible would the world be if the argon hadn’t been blessed?  Enough!  Tom had worked himself mentally and emotionally to the edge of a cliff.  He had to stop, or go over. 10

  It was late.  Tom’s brain craved answers, but it was starving for rest.  He finally gave into its needs rather than its wants.  He crawled into bed, but found sleep to be an elusive quarry.  He tossed and turned as his mind continued to hunt for answers, while from the underbrush of his subconscious, Tom was being stalked by the theories he had created.  Sleep was the ultimate victor.  It crept up and took Tom unawares. 11

  Even in sleep, Tom could not escape the restless thoughts.  The thin veil of sleep could scarce contain the theories and questions that ricocheted off the walls of his weary brain.  Tom gradually slipped into a deeper sleep and began to dream.  He dreamt someone was calling him. 12

  “Thomas.” 13

  Oh no, it was his father.  What had he done wrong this time? 14

  “Thomas.” 15

  Maybe if he didn’t answer, he wouldn’t find him and he’d go away. 16

  “Thomas!” 17

  Tom’s eyes snapped open, half expecting to see his old man standing over him with a leather strap.  Instead, he was confronted by a glowing, swirling cloud of vapors.  Tom was frozen with fear when the cloud expanded, then brightened and he heard his name come from its direction. 18

  “Thomas.” 19

  Tom was petrified now.  He was sure he had either gone insane or died in his sleep. 20

  “Thomas Hardy, do you know who I am?” 21

  Tom was at a definite disadvantage.  He managed to release a pitiful, “No.” 22

  “I am,” the cloud replied.  “I have always been.  I am the All Powerful, the All Knowing.  I am the Eternal One.  I go by many names.  I am God.” 23

  Tom wanted to faint, but he was too scared. 24

  The cloud congealed and transformed into the face of an incredibly old man.  He was wrinkled and weathered.  His eyes burned with the power of the brightest stars in the sky.  Tom could not look into those eyes.  He bowed his head to avert his vision. 25

  “I have heard your thoughts,” God said. 26

  Tom looked up at God for a moment, trying to avoid His eyes. 27

  “I hear everyone’s thoughts.” 28

  Now Tom was worried as well as scared. 29

  “Do not fear me,” God continued, “I have not come to punish you for your faults.  I have come to console you.  You have troubled yourself greatly with things which are beyond your understanding.  I have pondered your theory, and it has merit.  The human race is slowly straying from My way.  I have decided to use you to guide them back.” 30

  Tom was completely dumbfounded. 31

  “Do not be afraid to talk to me,” God said. 32

  Tom was hesitant, but ventured to ask, “Why not use Your power to make everyone believe in you?”  He felt braver and asked, “Why do you allow so much suffering and pain in the world?” 33

  “I have the power to turn the human race into passive, emotionless followers, but it is not My intention to rule over a flock of sheep. I will not force people to believe in Me.  I will not force My way into their hearts.  They must want to believe.  They must invite Me into their hearts.” 34

   “I do not create the pain and suffering in the world,” God continued, “I just don’t stop it.  I have given man the power to cure most of his ills.  He need only find the way.  For those which he cannot cure, he must believe in Me to ease the pain.  My ways are beyond human thought and cannot be questioned.” 35

  “But what could I possibly do?” asked Tom. 36

  “I have chosen you to redeem the future of mankind.”  With that, the vaporous face moved forward and blew a cool mist onto Tom’s face.  “I have blessed your lungs.  Every argon atom which leaves your lungs will carry a small portion of My Holy Spirit into the air to be inhaled by someone else.” 37

  Tom risked more questions.  “Why don’t You bless all the argon in the atmosphere and be done?  Why do you need me?” 38

  “My spirit is too great.  I do not want to control the human race.  I am offering a small breath of hope.  The argon you exhale will be carried by the winds and distributed around the world.  The amount you breath out will be sufficient to lift the spirits and help people see more clearly.  I will not interfere with their lives.  They must find Me of their own free will.” 39

  Tom was overwhelmed by the words he heard.  He could not speak, but he couldn’t help thinking, “Why me….. why me?” 40

  “This is a heavy burden for you to carry.  It is more than a mortal can cope with.  You need not worry Thomas, when you wake in the morning, this night will be but a dream which evaporates with the rising sun.  Now sleep my son.”  With that, Tom’s eyes fluttered once, then dropped on command.  He plunged into a deep, dreamless sleep. 41

  A distant sound caught Tom’s attention.  It gradually got louder and more demanding.  It was the alarm clock.  He fumbled with the buttons until he found the one which silenced its pleading.  He rolled out of bed and began his Monday morning ritual.  The sun caught his eye through the window.  He opened it and took a deep breath.  The air was so fresh in the morning.  Then he remembered his argon theories from last night and chuckled at how worked up he had been.  He glanced at his watch, “Look at the time!  I’ve got to stop day dreaming.”  Dreaming.  The word struck a nerve.  He remembered having a weird dream last night.  He tried to remember what it was about, but couldn’t.  He had a feeling it was about his argon theory and left it at that.  Tom had to hurry or he’d miss his bus.  He skipped breakfast and flew out the door. 42

  At the bus stop, Tom milled into the crowd of people waiting for the rush hour commuter.  After a few minutes, the man next to him said, “Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day today.”  Tom turned and gave him a slightly puzzled look.  For years he has stood at this same corner with these same people and no one ever talked to him before.  The man continued, “Oh, excuse me, my name is Ben Thompson.  What’s yours?” 43

  Tom was cautious, but the man seemed sincere.  He replied, “Tom….”  He hesitated, “Thomas Hardy.”  Thomas didn’t sound so bad after all.  He noticed that some of the other people were smiling and starting to chat.  Thomas smiled and said to Ben, “It does look like it’s going to be a beautiful day.”44