Keeping the peace was important, but not when it was at the expense of real love. Honoring others didn’t mean sweeping the truth under carpets. Being honest meant being real, at times raw, but respectful, and came not from emotion but from love.
Which reminded her to message Luc: I’m so sorry for how I left things with you the other day. You were right. I was wrong. Please forgive me. I can’t wait to see you again as there’s something I need to say to you. In person.
Luc glanced at his phone, his heart twisting as he read her words, then placed it down again, as the Bible study guys’ banter washed around him. He could barely tune in, was only here because he knew there’d be questions if he didn’t show, but everything in the past few days since his argument with Bailey seemed to drift past. Like Mike had shared in their brief Bible discussion, God was his only anchor, sure and certain.
“Luc?” Mike asked. “Is everything okay?”
“Sorry. I’ve been a bit distracted. What were you saying?”
But before Mike could say anything, Chris joined the chat, his grin bursting from the screen.
“Whoa. Someone looks like he’s got something to say,” Ryan said.
“That’s because someone does.”
“So, what is it?”
Chris shook his head. “Not what is it, but who.”
“Huh?”
Chris gestured to someone off-screen, then a familiar face wearing a baseball cap that said Canucks joined Chris’s screen.
No. Way.
Ryan whistled. “No way.”
“Big fat way,” Chris smirked.
“Zac?” Mike lifted a hand. “Hey, good to see you, man.”
Zac nodded, but clearly looked uncomfortable.
“Sorry, but Chris, can you elaborate?”
“I would’ve thought you guys would’ve figured this out. Meet the newest member of the Northwest Ice Online Bible study.”
“Whoa. Zac? You’re joining us?” Ryan asked.
“Are you really a Christian?” Jai asked.
Phrased like that it sounded too close to something Bailey’s dad might say, forcing Luc to speak up. “You’re welcome here, Zac. And hey, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been a Christian ten minutes or ten years or are still seeking God, we’re glad to have you and you’re welcome anytime.”
“Amen,” Franklin said.
“Thanks.” Zac nodded.
“Well said,” Mike messaged Luc privately in the chat box.
“So, care to fill us in?” Ryan asked.
Chris glanced at Zac, who still seemed as much as of a deer-in-headlights as when Luc first competed on Dance Off.
Zac shrugged. “Chris has been yammering at me for months, and I thought I’d come along.”
“He’s a yammerer, for sure,” Luc said, which earned a wry twist of lips from Zac and a round of laughter from the others.
“So, what’s the deal, man?” Ryan asked. “Like, don’t get me wrong, but you seem to be in a zone above some of us mere mortals.”
“Speak for yourself, Ryan.”
Ryan ignored Jai’s tease. “No, I’m just curious as I’ve never really heard or seen any kind of faith mentioned with you before.”
“Hey, that sounds a little pointed,” Chris interrupted. “Maybe it’s better if we share about our own experiences before expecting him to do the same.”
Zac nodded, and the guys began to share.
“I’ve been a Christian all my life, and have found God to be my rock, especially in recent years when Bree got really sick,” Mike said.
“I didn’t grow up as a Christian but had a friend in school help me find the light,” Jai said.
“I was similar to Jai,” Luc admitted. “I didn’t know anything much about God until my twenties, when my mom got sick, and then I found hope in God. Now I trust Him and know He’s the most important thing in my life.”
He ducked his head as Franklin and Ryan shared, his own words convicting him. If he really was trusting God, then surely he had to trust Him with the mess that was Bailey and her parents? Hey God, I give it to You. Have Your way.
Silence filled the screen, and he looked up. Zac shrugged. “I, um, I don’t know, maybe it’ll make me sound like an arrogant tool, but I’ve been searching for greater meaning for a while now. I’ve had a bunch of people in the past point to stuff but it didn’t really fill me. And then Chris started talking to me about Jesus, and it made a lot of sense, and I guess I want to know more about this.”
