Just A Thought – The Broken Road

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Just A Thought – The Broken Road By Richard Paul Evans

Overview

In one way or another, we have all experienced brokenness. Whether it was losing a loved one, being abused, losing a job, or even losing oneself. It is one of the most difficult things to experience, not knowing or even feeling as if we would ever thrive or even survive in this world again. In Richard Paul Evans novel The Broken Road, he takes us on an adventure that could jeopardize everything he always wanted and dreamed of. With every turn of the page, Evans takes the reader down Route 66 as he strolls through his life.

Background

Charles James came from an unusual family and background. There were mornings when his father woke him up to go scavenge for food. Charles’s family was poor. They didn’t have much and the only way they survived was by Charles diving into dumpsters in the wee hours of the morning looking for food.

However, that wasn’t the only thing that helped to propel Charles on his journey to success. His father’s blatant disrespect and abuse drove Charles to leave his family. He couldn’t take it anymore. He had to be anywhere else except home.

Synopsis

The story opens as Charles is given the dream of a lifetime. He is on stage persuading the audience to depart with their hard earned money to have a chance at a better life. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you to do something,” he told the audience. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you to be successful and wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.” At that moment in time, Charles had captivated his audience. He had begun the method of swindling people out of their money.

Later, after learning one of his clients committed suicide, things began to change for Charles. He began to question if his so-called success was legitimate. Even though success was good—really good!—he couldn’t shake a feeling of dread. There were nights he woke up in a cold sweat, shaking because of the vivid nightmare he was having. This nightmare wasn’t just any nightmare; this nightmare took him on a walk down Route 66.

The pavement was hot and fire was all around. The only thing he could do in his dream was walk. He couldn’t escape. He was surrounded by fire. His nightmare wasn’t haunting at first but soon became more vivid. He began to hear people screaming, crying, and wailing. Was he doing anything wrong? So what if they wanted their money back? Charles was successful beyond his wildest dreams, and that was all that mattered. Then it happened! Charles was given a wild card. He was given a second chance to make it right, to begin the long journey down Route 66 attempting to correct his path. What would he do?

Conclusion

There are things that shape and mold us as we stumble through this thing called life. There are always going to be ups and downs, changes, twists, and turns. There will be opportunities to achieve something or create your own destiny. The question is: Will you sell your soul in order to become that successful, cold-hearted individual who only cares about himself or will you let God come in and groom you and put you on the right path, His path for you?