Breaking Barriers: Jonah Finds His Voice

Chapter 2 - The Test

I woke up to the sound of the Turn it Up chorus of Planetshakers blaring from my alarm clock. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up in bed, letting the lyrics fill my mind: "Turn it up, the sound of praise / Make it louder like any other / Lift Him up and shout His name / Overall"

I got up and quickly went about my morning routine. I brushed my teeth, took a quick shower, and got dressed for the day. As I sat down for breakfast, I could hear my dad, Pastor Jacob, greeting me a good morning. "Good morning, son. How was the youth night last night?" he asked. I replied with the usual, "It was great, Dad. Pastor Marco gave a powerful message about standing up in faith."

Just then, my mom, Sara, came in and told me to wake up my sister Hannah. I headed to her room and gently shook her awake. "Come on, Hannah. It's time to get up," I said. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, "Why is it so early? We don't even have class today."

I finished my breakfast and was ready to head out to school, but not before my mom gave me a kiss and my dad gave me words to bring for the day. "Remember, son, to always stand up for your faith," he said. I nodded and headed out, feeling ready to face whatever the day would bring.

But before I could completely leave the house, my dad was reminded of something and had proceeded to bring that up. 

"Jonah, have you noticed how the youth today is caught up in the world?" my dad asked.

"Yes, Dad. I've seen it," I replied.

"It's alarming, son. We need to pray and be more vigilant in reaching out to them," my dad continued.

My mom chipped in, "We also need to be good examples to them, leading them to the right path."

I nodded in agreement, "I'll do my best, Mom and Dad."

"That's our boy. We trust you," my dad said with a smile.

With that, I headed out to school, thoughts of the conversation with my parents and the state of the youth today weighing heavy on my mind.

As I walked down the hallway, George the Bully suddenly appeared before me, blocking my way. "Hey, look who it is," he sneered, "Mr. Goody Two-Shoes, the church boy."

George started mocking me, "What's up, Christian? Did you have a good time praising Jesus last night at your little youth group?" He laughed and continued, "What's with the long face? Did the Holy Spirit give you a guilt trip or something?"

He gestured towards me with a smirk, "I mean, come on man, you're always talking about forgiveness and love and all that stuff. It's like you're living in some alternate universe."

I felt my face flush with anger and embarrassment. I didn't know how to respond to George's taunts. He just continued to ridicule me and my faith, using all the stereotypical Christian adjectives he could think of.

"Honestly, what's the point of being a Christian?" he sneered. "It's not like it's going to change anything or make a difference in the world. It's just a waste of time."

I tried to push past George and continue on my way, but he stood firm, blocking my path. "What's the matter, Jonah? Don't you have anything to say?"

I hesitated, feeling a sense of fear and frustration welling up inside of me. I knew I should say something, but the words just wouldn't come.

In the end, I just mumbled a weak response and walked away, leaving George behind, still laughing and mocking me and my faith.

As I walked into the history classroom, I spotted my close friend Lea already seated. I quickly made my way to my seat, just as my agnostic history teacher, Mr. Jones David, entered the room while he was on a call with a colleague. I felt a pang of nervousness, knowing that Mr. Jones didn't tolerate any disruptions in his class. I greeted Lea in a whisper and took my seat.