He's All I Have

•15•

No matter where you decide to pray or how you pray, there's a father who is always listening on the other end and ready to steer you in the right direction. For the longest time, I have been scared. I told myself that if I told my family about my faith, they wouldn't understand. They wouldn't understand how much more peaceful, interesting, and purposeful it was to live my life with Christ than without him. After my prayer yesterday I got the clarity that I needed. I read about the disciples, about Jesus too, and how he said that one must be willing to give up his family to follow him. I knew what to do after reading that, and even more so when the Holy Spirit later led me to the book of Acts. I read about how people would preach the gospel at the expense of their families, even their lives.

That day I woke up and I knew that I had to tell them. After dressing up for school, with much of my morning routine done, I decided to grab some breakfast. I wanted my family to know the life that I was now living. It was going to be hard, and I was scared but I knew I had to do it. I remembered reading somewhere where the word spoke about how it wouldn't profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul. It made me realize that not speaking about my faith was not going to just affect me, it was going to affect all the people that I was not speaking to. I was essentially condemning them to hell even though I knew there was a better life that they could have lived, an abundant life.

It's like when people find an easier or cheaper way to do something. They love to tell others about those things because they know that if they keep it to themselves, then they're really doing others a disservice. I knew many did not take kindly to people speaking about the gospel but I had decided that I was gonna do it regardless. I was going to start with my family because if I was going to be in heaven, I wanted to make sure that all the people that I love would also be there with me.

I walked down the stairs, the spring in my step gone but I knew that I had to do what God was calling me to do. The day being a Friday, I knew that my father was gonna leave a little later than he usually did. Which was perfect for me because that meant everyone would be around for breakfast.

"Good morning," I greeted as I walked into the room and began making myself a sandwich.

I had no appetite but I had to at least try and make the morning as normal as possible. I got a string of hellos back as I settled on the table. After looking at my food for a little while, I realized that I was not going to be able to eat and I should just go ahead say what was in my heart.

"I need to talk to you," I said. My parents looked at Lily as if to say she should leave but I quickly interrupted, "No, I need to speak with all of you, including Lily." I clarified.

" Is everything alright?" my father asked.

Seeing as he was the only one of us who didn't know what was going on or had any suspicions, it was only fair that I eased his worries.

"Everything is fine Dad, I just need to tell you something"

My mother gave me the warning eye I already knew all too well. My dad had his resting strict face and Lily had on her sorry face because she knew what I was about to do and how my parents were not going to approve of my words. There was an eery moment of awkward silence in the room as everybody waited for my next words.

" I am now a Christian," I said, bolder than I thought I would be.

The room was quiet for some seconds until my dad started shouting.

"After all that I have done to protect you, you went out of my house and did the one thing that I told you not to? Do you even know what you have done? What you have turned your life into? You have subscribed to a life of pain and misery. You are following what doesn't exist TC, you have joined a cult."

He paced back and forth on the floor. He mumbled to himself. He looked more and more confused and I grew more and more afraid. My father had never had an outburst like the one he had just exhibited.

"How did this happen? Is it your school? What? How?"

He asked with confusion and he definitely expected an answer. I looked at my mum to see if she could help but what I got was not comforting.

"No, your father is right TC. You directly disobeyed the rules of this house," she said with her own angry tone.

At this point, I was out of options so I looked over to Lily to see if she could help but that was the biggest mistake I made that day. My father noticed this exchange of looks and he immediately asked, "Did you know about this Lily?"

Of all the things that I had expected, I had not anticipated that my father would ask Lily this question so I immediately chimed in.

"She didn't know. I only told her yesterday, It's not her fault." I said as I tried to defend my sister.

"So, if I understand correctly, you went out there and brought your beliefs into this house but not only that you are also corrupting your sister?" he said in a calm voice and that scared me even more.

" No Dad, it's not like that. Let me explain-"

" Well, it sure sounds like that's what happened. I told you, no Jesus in this house and you directly disobeyed me on that. As I see it, you either denounce that faith or you leave my house."

" Dad please, you know I cannot deny Jesus because he is as real as you and me. I know I have experienced him and my life is so much better now and there is no way I am going back. My faith in Jesus, even though it's new, it's everything to me" I pleaded as I tried to explain.

" You have made your decision then. Your family is not important to you so next month, once you turn eighteen, I want you out of my house" He said coldly.

"I did not mean it like that. You guys are important to me but my heavenly father is also important to me. I don't wanna lose him either."

"I am your only father!!!" he screamed. "You know what? I don't care anymore. Like I said, you choose. You have a month to think about it. This conversation is over."

That was the last thing he said before he slammed the door behind him and left for work. My mum was feeling no better, she would have preferred any other explanation except the one that I just gave, and she too left right after my dad. Lily just hugged me and left for school without a word. I was left sitting there as my heart sank more and more by the second.

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ThatChristianKid

09/07/2020