her friend and gave him a wink.
Lainie nodded. “Yes, for this dramatic illustration, you are.” She turned back to the group. “Let's say he … he promised to help Danni study for a test, but he went to a party instead, and she ended up flunking.”
Danni shook her head. “Not cool, Ace.”
Steven shrugged his shoulders as a cocky grin spread across his face. “Sorry, dude. Something came up.”
“Steven's sorry,” Lainie said, pointing at the boy. “But Danni doesn’t care. She's just not going to forgive him. And that's when things start to get messy.”
Maura heard her cue. From her spot in the back, she slunk forward, making her way to the front of the room.
Lainie crooked a thumb at her. “Enter Unforgiveness.”
Maura latched on to Danni, putting a hand on each of the girl's shoulders and pulling at her just a bit.
Lainie turned back to the other kids in the room. “Whatever Danni does now, she's dragging Unforgiveness along with her.” She strolled over to Danni, pretending to run into her on the street. “Hi, Danni. How’re you doing today?”
Maura pulled down on Danni's shoulders, making the ugliest face she could behind the girl's back. Giggles erupted throughout the room.
“Not too good,” Danni answered, wobbling a little as Maura exerted more pressure. “To tell you the truth, I feel weighed down.”
Lainie nodded. “Maybe it's because you’re still mad at Steven. You know, he told me he feels pretty bad about what happened. Maybe you should forgive him.”
From behind her, Maura now slipped her arms around the front of Danni's neck, pretending to choke the girl. With her head looking over Danni's shoulder, she said in a stage whisper, “How do you know he won’t do it again?”
Playing along, Danni choked out the words, “I don’t.”
Lainie signaled with her hand, cuing Steven, who ran up to Danni. “Danni, I’m really, really sorry about not helping you with the test. Can you please forgive me?”
Danni looked over at the other members of the youth group. “I think I’d better before this unforgiveness kills me.” She turned her head back toward Steven. “Yes, I forgive you.”
Steven moved forward to hug Danni, and as he did, he pulled Maura's hands from around the girl's neck and pushed her backward. As the two teens hugged, Maura made a big show of falling to the ground, moaning and groaning, effectively dying.
The group applauded as Danni and Steven went back to their seats, and Maura, staying in character, crawled to the back of the room.
Clapping, Lainie moved to the middle of the room. “As you just saw, unforgiveness will suck all the joy out of you if you let it.”
Lainie continued to speak to the group, but Maura's mind branched off in a myriad of different directions.
Brushing off the knees of her dress pants, she decided a change was in order. If she was going to make a habit of crawling around on the floor, she should probably start wearing jeans to youth group meetings.
She looked up, spotting Danni and Steven. They were naturals when it came to improvisation. She’d have to talk to them about joining her acting classes once she got them started.
When she could think of no other distractions, Maura examined her own heart. She had tried so hard for so long to put Nick out of her mind and ignore any lingering feelings she had toward him. But today, as she played the weed of unforgiveness, all those emotions had been stirred up. The heaviness, the ugliness, all of it came from a place inside her that was still mad at Nick for pushing her to the point where she felt she had no choice but to leave him. And when she whispered in Danni's ear and asked, “How do you know he won’t do it again?” the question had come straight from her own heart.
It was time to face it; she was still angry with Nick. And she didn’t trust him. She was afraid that if she forgave him and let her guard down he would hurt her again.
“See you
Lainie nodded. “Yes, for this dramatic illustration, you are.” She turned back to the group. “Let's say he … he promised to help Danni study for a test, but he went to a party instead, and she ended up flunking.”
Danni shook her head. “Not cool, Ace.”
Steven shrugged his shoulders as a cocky grin spread across his face. “Sorry, dude. Something came up.”
“Steven's sorry,” Lainie said, pointing at the boy. “But Danni doesn’t care. She's just not going to forgive him. And that's when things start to get messy.”
Maura heard her cue. From her spot in the back, she slunk forward, making her way to the front of the room.
Lainie crooked a thumb at her. “Enter Unforgiveness.”
Maura latched on to Danni, putting a hand on each of the girl's shoulders and pulling at her just a bit.
Lainie turned back to the other kids in the room. “Whatever Danni does now, she's dragging Unforgiveness along with her.” She strolled over to Danni, pretending to run into her on the street. “Hi, Danni. How’re you doing today?”
Maura pulled down on Danni's shoulders, making the ugliest face she could behind the girl's back. Giggles erupted throughout the room.
“Not too good,” Danni answered, wobbling a little as Maura exerted more pressure. “To tell you the truth, I feel weighed down.”
Lainie nodded. “Maybe it's because you’re still mad at Steven. You know, he told me he feels pretty bad about what happened. Maybe you should forgive him.”
From behind her, Maura now slipped her arms around the front of Danni's neck, pretending to choke the girl. With her head looking over Danni's shoulder, she said in a stage whisper, “How do you know he won’t do it again?”
Playing along, Danni choked out the words, “I don’t.”
Lainie signaled with her hand, cuing Steven, who ran up to Danni. “Danni, I’m really, really sorry about not helping you with the test. Can you please forgive me?”
Danni looked over at the other members of the youth group. “I think I’d better before this unforgiveness kills me.” She turned her head back toward Steven. “Yes, I forgive you.”
Steven moved forward to hug Danni, and as he did, he pulled Maura's hands from around the girl's neck and pushed her backward. As the two teens hugged, Maura made a big show of falling to the ground, moaning and groaning, effectively dying.
The group applauded as Danni and Steven went back to their seats, and Maura, staying in character, crawled to the back of the room.
Clapping, Lainie moved to the middle of the room. “As you just saw, unforgiveness will suck all the joy out of you if you let it.”
Lainie continued to speak to the group, but Maura's mind branched off in a myriad of different directions.
Brushing off the knees of her dress pants, she decided a change was in order. If she was going to make a habit of crawling around on the floor, she should probably start wearing jeans to youth group meetings.
She looked up, spotting Danni and Steven. They were naturals when it came to improvisation. She’d have to talk to them about joining her acting classes once she got them started.
When she could think of no other distractions, Maura examined her own heart. She had tried so hard for so long to put Nick out of her mind and ignore any lingering feelings she had toward him. But today, as she played the weed of unforgiveness, all those emotions had been stirred up. The heaviness, the ugliness, all of it came from a place inside her that was still mad at Nick for pushing her to the point where she felt she had no choice but to leave him. And when she whispered in Danni's ear and asked, “How do you know he won’t do it again?” the question had come straight from her own heart.
It was time to face it; she was still angry with Nick. And she didn’t trust him. She was afraid that if she forgave him and let her guard down he would hurt her again.
“See you
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