gesture.
Jenn didn’t even crack a smile. “You’re making it sound too easy.”
“But I’ll be motivated to do it, and God will help me. Which brings me to rule number three: Persevere and rely on God. Paul told the Corinthians to persevere, and that God would give strength, help, and grace in hardship.”
“Following these rules won’t automatically make you devoted to God.”
“But if I follow these rules, eventually God will change my heart so that I will be devoted to Him.”
“Where does it say that?”
“Right here in 2 Corinthians, after the ‘do not be yoked’ thing.” Trish flipped pages. “ ‘‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’ See? I will become His daughter. I’ll be a good girl instead of an embarrassment.”
“I guess . . . you’re right.” Jenn stared hard at the verse.
“You have that concerned sound.”
“Well, they seem kind of legalistic.”
“No, they’ll remind me of what I need to do. My new rules for living!” Trish flung her arms out again and almost knocked over her coffee cup.
“Keep it down, you’ll wake Mom.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Trish leaned against the table. “So what do you think?”
“Don’t get me wrong — realizing that you need undivided devotion to God is a good thing. It’s a huge spiritual step. And they’re good rules. I don’t see anything wrong with them, and they’re biblically-based.”
Trish perked up like she’d found a five-dollar bill outside of a Starbucks café. “Then will you keep me accountable?” She was so proud of herself for remembering that she needed a prayer partner, let alone actually asking someone to help her.
Jenn’s brow wrinkled. “Me?”
“Why not you?”
“Well . . .” She twirled the ends of her hair. “Not that I don’t love you, but you’ve always been closer to Lex.”
Trish gnawed a little on the inside of her cheek and scratched the back of her neck. “Uh . . . Lex hasn’t been returning my emails lately.”
Jenn’s eyes cracked a fraction wider. “Is she okay?”
“Oh yeah. I think she’s . . . well, she might be mad at me.” Her neck started warming up like she had a heating pad wrapped around it.
“Mad at you? For what?”
“At the hospital that night, Kazuo and I were . . . sort of embracing.”
“Embracing? At the hospital ?”
Trish realized she’d embraced guys in worse places, but this time, she wasn’t totally to blame. “He was holding me back from smacking my adulterous father. I think that’s a good reason.”
Jenn’s gaze fell to the scarred wooden kitchen table. “Oh. Yeah.”
“And Venus is always so busy at work.”
“She works at a startup. Of course she’s busy.”
“Oh. So anyway, I really need you. I kind of feel like . . .” Trish bit the inside of her lip. “ . . . like they’ve abandoned me.” The way Trish had abandoned Lex.
She touched Trish’s hand. “I’m sure they haven’t.”
“Well, it sure feels like it, since Venus is so busy and Lex isn’t talking to me.”
“Trish, she’s not perfect. You hurt her, and she’s going to need time. But she’ll call you eventually. Besides — ” But she swallowed whatever she was going to say. She started braiding a lock of her hair.
Trish stared hard at her. “What?”
“Well . . .”
“Spit it out, Jenn.”
She looked up at her. “We pick you up, dust you off, take care of your problems for you, and then you always seem to go and do the same things again.”
“No, I d — ” Well, last year there had been that whole “I’m not going to date” phase (à la Joshua Harris), which didn’t last very long. And then there had been that thing about going back to church, and she’d only gone a few weeks before slipping back into the habit of sleeping in on Sundays. There was the mess about getting intimate with Kazuo again after she’d sworn she was finally over him, which caused that minor thing about making Lex
Jenn didn’t even crack a smile. “You’re making it sound too easy.”
“But I’ll be motivated to do it, and God will help me. Which brings me to rule number three: Persevere and rely on God. Paul told the Corinthians to persevere, and that God would give strength, help, and grace in hardship.”
“Following these rules won’t automatically make you devoted to God.”
“But if I follow these rules, eventually God will change my heart so that I will be devoted to Him.”
“Where does it say that?”
“Right here in 2 Corinthians, after the ‘do not be yoked’ thing.” Trish flipped pages. “ ‘‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’ See? I will become His daughter. I’ll be a good girl instead of an embarrassment.”
“I guess . . . you’re right.” Jenn stared hard at the verse.
“You have that concerned sound.”
“Well, they seem kind of legalistic.”
“No, they’ll remind me of what I need to do. My new rules for living!” Trish flung her arms out again and almost knocked over her coffee cup.
“Keep it down, you’ll wake Mom.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Trish leaned against the table. “So what do you think?”
“Don’t get me wrong — realizing that you need undivided devotion to God is a good thing. It’s a huge spiritual step. And they’re good rules. I don’t see anything wrong with them, and they’re biblically-based.”
Trish perked up like she’d found a five-dollar bill outside of a Starbucks café. “Then will you keep me accountable?” She was so proud of herself for remembering that she needed a prayer partner, let alone actually asking someone to help her.
Jenn’s brow wrinkled. “Me?”
“Why not you?”
“Well . . .” She twirled the ends of her hair. “Not that I don’t love you, but you’ve always been closer to Lex.”
Trish gnawed a little on the inside of her cheek and scratched the back of her neck. “Uh . . . Lex hasn’t been returning my emails lately.”
Jenn’s eyes cracked a fraction wider. “Is she okay?”
“Oh yeah. I think she’s . . . well, she might be mad at me.” Her neck started warming up like she had a heating pad wrapped around it.
“Mad at you? For what?”
“At the hospital that night, Kazuo and I were . . . sort of embracing.”
“Embracing? At the hospital ?”
Trish realized she’d embraced guys in worse places, but this time, she wasn’t totally to blame. “He was holding me back from smacking my adulterous father. I think that’s a good reason.”
Jenn’s gaze fell to the scarred wooden kitchen table. “Oh. Yeah.”
“And Venus is always so busy at work.”
“She works at a startup. Of course she’s busy.”
“Oh. So anyway, I really need you. I kind of feel like . . .” Trish bit the inside of her lip. “ . . . like they’ve abandoned me.” The way Trish had abandoned Lex.
She touched Trish’s hand. “I’m sure they haven’t.”
“Well, it sure feels like it, since Venus is so busy and Lex isn’t talking to me.”
“Trish, she’s not perfect. You hurt her, and she’s going to need time. But she’ll call you eventually. Besides — ” But she swallowed whatever she was going to say. She started braiding a lock of her hair.
Trish stared hard at her. “What?”
“Well . . .”
“Spit it out, Jenn.”
She looked up at her. “We pick you up, dust you off, take care of your problems for you, and then you always seem to go and do the same things again.”
“No, I d — ” Well, last year there had been that whole “I’m not going to date” phase (à la Joshua Harris), which didn’t last very long. And then there had been that thing about going back to church, and she’d only gone a few weeks before slipping back into the habit of sleeping in on Sundays. There was the mess about getting intimate with Kazuo again after she’d sworn she was finally over him, which caused that minor thing about making Lex
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