The road ahead looked long and winding as Cindy walked down the path towards home. She put her hair up, and then picked up her books holding them tightly against her chest. "Lord, please don't let him be up." She prayed. The fall leaves colored the ground and she licked her lips tasting the crisp air. In Bible study, the youth leader talked about a passage in Matthew where Jesus commissioned his disciples. She read what she wrote in her journal that encouraged her.
“When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived. “Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now. “Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
Matthew 10:21-23, 26-28
She leaned against a tree outside her house and felt the familiar hurt that her father was not a Christian. In fact, he was a downright atheist since her mom passed away. She had yet to tell him she was going to youth group with her friends on Wednesday. She knew the Bible said not to fear, but the thought of her dad's reaction scared her. If everything was eventually going to be out in the open, she knew she couldn't hide being a Christian forever, but she was waiting for a time he was sober, which was rare.
Saying a prayer of courage, she walked into the house and sighed in relief. Her dad was passed out drunk on the couch. She got a blanket and covered him up then went upstairs to sleep.
To be continued....
“When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived. “Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now. “Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
Matthew 10:21-23, 26-28
She leaned against a tree outside her house and felt the familiar hurt that her father was not a Christian. In fact, he was a downright atheist since her mom passed away. She had yet to tell him she was going to youth group with her friends on Wednesday. She knew the Bible said not to fear, but the thought of her dad's reaction scared her. If everything was eventually going to be out in the open, she knew she couldn't hide being a Christian forever, but she was waiting for a time he was sober, which was rare.
Saying a prayer of courage, she walked into the house and sighed in relief. Her dad was passed out drunk on the couch. She got a blanket and covered him up then went upstairs to sleep.
To be continued....
