Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: Peer Pressure (07/05/04)
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TITLE: Walking with the wise By Amber Forbis 07/08/04 |
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“Ask me what?”
“Mom, before I ask, I want you to know that all my friends are going, and I really, really want to go.”
“Go where?” Deb asked impatiently.
Chloe took a deep breath and plunged on. “I want to go to youth group at Ann’s church tomorrow night.”
Deb’s eyebrows raised as she looked at her daughter in the rear view mirror. Chloe’s eyes were even more pleading than her voice.
“Sure, you can go.”
Secretly Deb was relieved that Chloe hadn’t asked to go to some kind of rock concert or boy/girl party, surely church couldn’t hurt her in anyway.
Two months later on another ride home from school Deb took the opportunity to catch up on her daughters life.
“So what’s new with you Chlo? I feel like we haven’t had much time to talk lately.”
Butterflies danced in Chloe’s stomach, now was the time to tell her mom. “Last night at youth group I went forward and asked Jesus into my life, to come and change me and make me a better person.”
Questions filled Deb’s eyes. “Change you? What’s wrong with the way you were?”
“It’s hard to explain Mom. It’s like I used to have this empty spot inside of me, I really didn’t know it was there, but nothing ever seemed to satisfy me or make me happy.
Now - I can’t explain it - it’s like the whole world looks new and brighter, things that used to irritate me don’t anymore, I can see beauty in things that I used to think were ugly, and more than anything I know I am happy, really happy.”
“Well that’s great sweetie,” Deb replied, trying to be supportive. In the back of her mind Deb figured this was a faze, like bell bottoms and pet rocks were in her day, it was best just to humor her, at least Jesus wasn’t harmful to Chloe’s health.
Another two months later on another ride home from school Deb heard Chloe humming a song.
“Whatcha singing?”
“Oh, it’s this really cool song they sing at youth group, ‘Shout to the Lord.’”
There it was again, youth group. Deb had thought this would blow over by now, that her daughter would be back to the same old teenager in a few days, but that hadn’t happened.
Chloe had never been the same since she had started going to church, and Deb really wasn’t disappointed by the change. Sure Chloe hadn’t all of a sudden become perfect, but her mood and attitude had drastically change. Maybe it was time to take a closer look at this church stuff.
“Honey, do they have a class for people my age at this church you go to?” The question came out in almost a whisper.
Chloe’s eyes darted up to meet her mom’s and they shone with a joy that nearly brought tears to the mother’s eyes.
“Yes they do Mom. They have a really cool women’s bible study. I met the teacher, she seems really nice, they also have an adult Sunday school class on Sunday mornings.”
Two weeks later on a Sunday morning mother and daughter were found kneeling at the altar of the church; tears were streaming down both faces. Chloe was leading her mother in the most important prayer of her life... “Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and that You died on the cross for me. I know that there is nothing I can do to make my sin go away, only You can do that...”
As she was praying with her mother Chloe thought about the Sunday school lesson on Peer Pressure that morning and a new thought came to her - maybe all peer pressure wasn’t bad. After all, if it hadn’t been for her friends persistently asking her to church and showing her the love of Christ she would never have met Jesus, and her mother wouldn‘t be praying right now. Lifting her eyes to heaven Chloe added another thanks to her list of praise to God.
Proverbs 13:20
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”