enough.”
Other students were listening intently, many of them feeling just as Lindsay did.
The youth minister got very quiet as he answered. “Lindsay, the thing is, you won’t be good enough.”
Everyone looked on in surprise. He had basically told her to give up and forget trying, right? She looked at him for a minute while she considered his words, and he waited before moving on. As soon as he saw the dawn of recognition in her eyes, he began to speak again.
“The beauty of being a Christian is that you will never be good enough. You will fail time and time again. If you could have been good enough, Lindsay, Rob, Sarah, Heather”—Steve looked around the campfire and called off each student’s name—”if you had it in you to be good enough for even one day, then you would never have needed a Savior. But thankfully our Father judges us through the blood of His Son, Jesus, if we have accepted Him as our personal Savior.
We aren’t judged by what we do; we are judged by what He did. Our actions are always and only a response to the grace we have been shown, never a way to earn that favor. Does that help? Does it maybe take some of the pressure off?”
Lindsay chuckled. “I don’t know, maybe it adds pressure in some ways … but yes, I see what you’re saying. Our acts of service or the choices we make aren’t because we’re afraid of God and some punishment we might receive; they are because we are in awe of His grace and living for Him in response to it.”
“Yes, Lindsay, that’s it exactly. I think with that said, we can close in prayer. Is there anyone here …”
Lindsay allowed Steve’s closing words to trail off as she looked deeply into the fire and considered all that she had heard.
Chapter 8
I DARE YOU
“I don’t know if I’m going to Kelly’s sleepover tonight, Mom.” Lindsay peeked at her mom ro guage her reaction.
“What? Really? Why?” Her mom seemed confused because usually there was nothing more that Lindsay would rather do than hang out with her friends. Noticing Lindsay’s discomfort, Mrs. Martin pressed for a bit more information. “Did you girls have a fight or something?”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Lindsay assured her. “It’s just that … well … I guess it’s nothing.” Not wanting to say something she’d regret, Lindsay tried to back out of the conversation. Her mom would have no part of that, though.
“Lindsay, what’s going on? You need to behonest with me so I can help with whatever is troubling you.”
“Mom, it’s just that sometimes the girls sort of teeter on doing things or saying things that I’m not sure I’m comfortable with. Not bad, really, just enough to make me concerned about where it will all lead. I’m afraid of getting sucked into things that would cause problems.” Lindsay squirmed. She felt a lot better after she expressed how she felt, even though it made her nervous. “Mom, I don’t want you to think they’re bad,” she continued, “because they aren’t.”
“No, Lindsay, I know that they aren’t bad. I also know that you are a very good and sensitive girl. It’s a wonderful thing that you are concerned about this. Most people don’t see trouble coming until it’s too late. But recognizing that it’s possible isn’t enough. You have to decide for yourself what your choices will be when faced with temptation.” Mrs. Martin paused to try to read Lindsay’s expression.
When Lindsay nodded, her mom continued. “It’s not enough to know what right and wrong mean. You have to be strong enough to say no to temptation. Temptations will come throughoutall of your life. There is no avoiding them. The problem isn’t being tempted; it’s what you do when you are. Instead of hiding from it and avoiding your friends, it’s better to determine to do what is right and then to be an example of that to the people around you. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, you’re totally right,” Lindsay agreed. “It’s
Other students were listening intently, many of them feeling just as Lindsay did.
The youth minister got very quiet as he answered. “Lindsay, the thing is, you won’t be good enough.”
Everyone looked on in surprise. He had basically told her to give up and forget trying, right? She looked at him for a minute while she considered his words, and he waited before moving on. As soon as he saw the dawn of recognition in her eyes, he began to speak again.
“The beauty of being a Christian is that you will never be good enough. You will fail time and time again. If you could have been good enough, Lindsay, Rob, Sarah, Heather”—Steve looked around the campfire and called off each student’s name—”if you had it in you to be good enough for even one day, then you would never have needed a Savior. But thankfully our Father judges us through the blood of His Son, Jesus, if we have accepted Him as our personal Savior.
We aren’t judged by what we do; we are judged by what He did. Our actions are always and only a response to the grace we have been shown, never a way to earn that favor. Does that help? Does it maybe take some of the pressure off?”
Lindsay chuckled. “I don’t know, maybe it adds pressure in some ways … but yes, I see what you’re saying. Our acts of service or the choices we make aren’t because we’re afraid of God and some punishment we might receive; they are because we are in awe of His grace and living for Him in response to it.”
“Yes, Lindsay, that’s it exactly. I think with that said, we can close in prayer. Is there anyone here …”
Lindsay allowed Steve’s closing words to trail off as she looked deeply into the fire and considered all that she had heard.
Chapter 8
I DARE YOU
“I don’t know if I’m going to Kelly’s sleepover tonight, Mom.” Lindsay peeked at her mom ro guage her reaction.
“What? Really? Why?” Her mom seemed confused because usually there was nothing more that Lindsay would rather do than hang out with her friends. Noticing Lindsay’s discomfort, Mrs. Martin pressed for a bit more information. “Did you girls have a fight or something?”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Lindsay assured her. “It’s just that … well … I guess it’s nothing.” Not wanting to say something she’d regret, Lindsay tried to back out of the conversation. Her mom would have no part of that, though.
“Lindsay, what’s going on? You need to behonest with me so I can help with whatever is troubling you.”
“Mom, it’s just that sometimes the girls sort of teeter on doing things or saying things that I’m not sure I’m comfortable with. Not bad, really, just enough to make me concerned about where it will all lead. I’m afraid of getting sucked into things that would cause problems.” Lindsay squirmed. She felt a lot better after she expressed how she felt, even though it made her nervous. “Mom, I don’t want you to think they’re bad,” she continued, “because they aren’t.”
“No, Lindsay, I know that they aren’t bad. I also know that you are a very good and sensitive girl. It’s a wonderful thing that you are concerned about this. Most people don’t see trouble coming until it’s too late. But recognizing that it’s possible isn’t enough. You have to decide for yourself what your choices will be when faced with temptation.” Mrs. Martin paused to try to read Lindsay’s expression.
When Lindsay nodded, her mom continued. “It’s not enough to know what right and wrong mean. You have to be strong enough to say no to temptation. Temptations will come throughoutall of your life. There is no avoiding them. The problem isn’t being tempted; it’s what you do when you are. Instead of hiding from it and avoiding your friends, it’s better to determine to do what is right and then to be an example of that to the people around you. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, you’re totally right,” Lindsay agreed. “It’s
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