into a handful of tissues. Cool air blew straight into Skye’s face, squelching her hot temper along with the van’s oppressive heat.
“Mom, w-why do I-I feel like this?” Skye sputtered. “I don’t want to, but I can’t help it.”
“Let me ask you a few questions. Okay?” Mrs. Chambers said.
“Okay.” Skye wiped her runny nose.
“Why do you hurt so badly right now?”
Skye cleared out her brain and rehashed the last five horrible minutes of her life. “Because everybody in the whole church laughed at me.” She sniffled and wiped her nose again.
“I know that’s how you feel, Skye,” Mrs. Chambers said, “but let’s take a closer look at what just happened. What did you do that made everyone laugh at you?”
Skye replayed the whole ugly scene in her mind again. “Uh—well—nothing. I didn’t have a chance to do anything.”
“Honey, perhaps your feelings about Joey have you thinking amiss.”
Silence.
“Now, put yourself in the audience, and tell me who or what everyone laughed at.”
Skye’s mind moved to the front pew where she could get a good look at Joey knocking on her door.
“Well?” Mrs. Chambers asked softly.
“Well, if they were laughing at Joey, I kind of let him down. I should’ve just kept going. He probably wouldn’t have known the difference anyhow.” After a long pause, Skye said, “It—it seems like they weren’t laughing at anybody. It must have sounded funny, that’s all.”
“That’s right. Often, things that happen onstage are funny because they come as a total surprise. What Joey said was completely unexpected. The audience wasn’t laughing at you or Joey. I’m so sorry you were caught off guard. The next time we do a teen program, we’ll make sure all of you know how to get through a scene if someone botches his lines.”
“But why do I feel the way I do about—about Joey?” Skye looked into Mrs. Chambers’ blue eyes, searching for a solution to a problem that seemed to have none. Staring out the windshield, she focused on feelings that weighed her down with a ton of guilt and shame.
“Time for another question. Okay?” Mrs. Chambers offered.
“Okay.”
“Why do you think you’re having problems liking Joey?”
Skye thought for a moment and then answered, “He’s just in my space all the time. He’s there every time I turn around. I feel like I can’t breathe!”
“Most girls would be thrilled with that much attention from a boy,” Mrs. Chambers kidded.
Skye glanced at the woman and wrinkled her nose. “Very funny.”
“Seriously, what is it about this young man that makes you so angry?”
Like a time machine, Skye’s brain flashed scenes of Joey from the first time they met. “I—I think it’s because I want to serve the Lord, but Joey gets in the way. He smothers me! He embarrasses me in front of my friends too.”
“Ah, now we’re getting somewhere.” Mrs. Chambers reached over and nudged Skye’s shoulder. “When you accepted Christ as your Savior and you became a Christian, did things change in your life?”
“You know they did,” Skye admitted.
“And what was the one thing you told me you wanted to do as a Christian?”
“From the beginning to the end, I wanted to give my life to God and do things for him.”
“And how does a young lady your age serve God?”
“By going to church—and reading the Bible—and praying. You and Dad always tell us that in family devotions.”
“I see. And have you been faithful in serving the Lord that way?”
Skye took another brief trip back in time and made a sour face.
“Skye?”
“But Joey’s always there, even in church, breathing down my neck.”
“Now that you’ve mentioned family devotions, I have a few more questions for you. Ready?”
“Ready.”
“Last month, what verses in the Bible did you kids decide to memorize?”
Silence.
Finally Skye said, “First John 4:19 to 21.”
“And what do those verses say, honey?”
Skye took a deep
“Mom, w-why do I-I feel like this?” Skye sputtered. “I don’t want to, but I can’t help it.”
“Let me ask you a few questions. Okay?” Mrs. Chambers said.
“Okay.” Skye wiped her runny nose.
“Why do you hurt so badly right now?”
Skye cleared out her brain and rehashed the last five horrible minutes of her life. “Because everybody in the whole church laughed at me.” She sniffled and wiped her nose again.
“I know that’s how you feel, Skye,” Mrs. Chambers said, “but let’s take a closer look at what just happened. What did you do that made everyone laugh at you?”
Skye replayed the whole ugly scene in her mind again. “Uh—well—nothing. I didn’t have a chance to do anything.”
“Honey, perhaps your feelings about Joey have you thinking amiss.”
Silence.
“Now, put yourself in the audience, and tell me who or what everyone laughed at.”
Skye’s mind moved to the front pew where she could get a good look at Joey knocking on her door.
“Well?” Mrs. Chambers asked softly.
“Well, if they were laughing at Joey, I kind of let him down. I should’ve just kept going. He probably wouldn’t have known the difference anyhow.” After a long pause, Skye said, “It—it seems like they weren’t laughing at anybody. It must have sounded funny, that’s all.”
“That’s right. Often, things that happen onstage are funny because they come as a total surprise. What Joey said was completely unexpected. The audience wasn’t laughing at you or Joey. I’m so sorry you were caught off guard. The next time we do a teen program, we’ll make sure all of you know how to get through a scene if someone botches his lines.”
“But why do I feel the way I do about—about Joey?” Skye looked into Mrs. Chambers’ blue eyes, searching for a solution to a problem that seemed to have none. Staring out the windshield, she focused on feelings that weighed her down with a ton of guilt and shame.
“Time for another question. Okay?” Mrs. Chambers offered.
“Okay.”
“Why do you think you’re having problems liking Joey?”
Skye thought for a moment and then answered, “He’s just in my space all the time. He’s there every time I turn around. I feel like I can’t breathe!”
“Most girls would be thrilled with that much attention from a boy,” Mrs. Chambers kidded.
Skye glanced at the woman and wrinkled her nose. “Very funny.”
“Seriously, what is it about this young man that makes you so angry?”
Like a time machine, Skye’s brain flashed scenes of Joey from the first time they met. “I—I think it’s because I want to serve the Lord, but Joey gets in the way. He smothers me! He embarrasses me in front of my friends too.”
“Ah, now we’re getting somewhere.” Mrs. Chambers reached over and nudged Skye’s shoulder. “When you accepted Christ as your Savior and you became a Christian, did things change in your life?”
“You know they did,” Skye admitted.
“And what was the one thing you told me you wanted to do as a Christian?”
“From the beginning to the end, I wanted to give my life to God and do things for him.”
“And how does a young lady your age serve God?”
“By going to church—and reading the Bible—and praying. You and Dad always tell us that in family devotions.”
“I see. And have you been faithful in serving the Lord that way?”
Skye took another brief trip back in time and made a sour face.
“Skye?”
“But Joey’s always there, even in church, breathing down my neck.”
“Now that you’ve mentioned family devotions, I have a few more questions for you. Ready?”
“Ready.”
“Last month, what verses in the Bible did you kids decide to memorize?”
Silence.
Finally Skye said, “First John 4:19 to 21.”
“And what do those verses say, honey?”
Skye took a deep
Similar Books
