First Lines

The first line is incredibly important to a short story. My first fiction teacher at Southern Illinois University taught this idea. I realized I agreed with her. The first line can draw the reader in or it can leave them disenchanted with the story from the start. I can spend an hour or more running first lines through my head for a new story I want to create. After the first line everything else seems easier.
So, here's the idea. I started talking about fiction. Now, I'm going to talk about faith. The host of the television show "Inside the Actor's Studio" always asks his famous guests a few unique questions at the end of each show. One of the questions is: If there's a heaven and there's a God what would you like to hear God say to you upon first arriving?
I always have loved the idea of this question. I love it because I do believe in God and heaven. I love it because it's interesting. I love it because of the answers people think up. Well, I seriously doubt I'll ever be on "Inside the Actor's Studio" since I'm not an actor. I took one acting class in college, but after that my career was over. Although, I'll never be on the show I do have an answer to the question. I've thought about it many times recently.
My answer? "Welcome home, son."
I would take great pleasure in hearing your answer!

When I was a little boy I told my mother I'd never learn how to read. Learning to read was a struggle. I wanted her to stop trying to teach me. Giving up seemed easier. If I gave up I could then spend that time playing more Nintendo. I already knew how to play Nintendo. Why complicate things with all this reading business? Well, Mom didn't give up on me. She taught me how to read. Years later she reminded me how I'd said I would never learn. It seemed a foolish thing to say upon reflection years later. It seemed like the absolute truth at the time.
Why do we give up on ourselves so easy? Why do we lose faith so fast? These are good questions! We ought to contemplate them.
When I was a little older, and had learned how to read quite well, I thought riding a bike must be the most difficult thing to do in the world. I knew I'd never get it right without falling after a few fleeting seconds of pedaling. With my dad's help and perserverance in not giving up on me I learned how to ride a bike. The first time I rode without falling was a moment of triumph I haven't forgotten since.
At the age of seventeen a large part of me wanted to be happy because a large part of me was not. I thought misery would be the road I'd travel for the rest of my life. This time it wasn't Mom or Dad that could help me out. This time my self doubt was something they couldn't fix. This time I needed God and I knew it. True happiness arrived at the doorstep of my heart on a night in May of 2002 when I accepted Christ in a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I've known happiness ever since!
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that so many times in life we doubt that we will be able to learn this or do that or be this or accomplish that. We have a choice. We can give up hope. Or we can persevere. My mother taught me how to read. My father taught me how to ride a bike. God saved my life and gave me happiness while also teaching me how to share it with others.
So, now I'm twenty-five with a new area of doubt in my life. A part of me doubts that I will ever get to fall in love and take a wife. Well, to this doubt I remind myself that I love to read books, I learned how to ride a bike quite well, and I'm a very happy person!
I will persevere. I won't give up hope. I'll keep having faith! And, by the way, with God nothing is impossible!