As
his family headed back to their camper for the evening, Trey said,
“Well, I guess I better check my pack to make sure I have
everything.” He held his breath, hoping that his parents would
acquiesce without an argument.
“I
don’t think you should go,” Dad announced, dousing Trey’s
hopes.
“But
I’m fine!” Trey exclaimed, walking around to prove his point.
Although he succeeded in walking ten yards or so without a limp, his
ankle groaned in response. It was getting better all the time, but it
still had a long way to go before it was 100% again. He gritted his
teeth and faked a smile. “See?”
“I
can see that you’re a pretty good actor,” replied Dad.
“It
really doesn’t hurt that much anymore,” Trey persisted. “I
mean, sure, I can feel it a little, but I’ll be fine. I promise!”
“Why
do you want to go so bad?” asked Mom.
“To
be with my cousins,” Trey answered immediately. “It’ll be fun,
and I may never get the chance again.”
“Remember
what I said about not doing something dumb just to fit in?” Dad
asked. “Well, hiking down a rocky river with a sprained ankle falls
into that category.”
“But
this is different!” Trey argued. “This is a family thing! Aren’t
you the one who’s always talking about ‘Family First’? So how
can you say this is something dumb?”
“The
hike’s not dumb,”
Dad clarified. “Hiking it on a sprained ankle is.”
“It’s
not fair!” Trey fumed. “You promised I could go if I could walk
without limping!”
“I
didn’t promise any such thing,” Dad countered. “I said we’d
talk about it. And we’re talking about it.”
“What’s
the use of talking about it if your mind’s already made up?”
asked Trey.
Dad
sighed. He had a large frown on his face. “I didn’t say you
couldn’t go,” he
explained. “I said I didn’t think
you should go.”
“So
it’s my decision?” Trey asked warily.
Dad
looked at Mom. She shrugged and he looked back at Trey. He took a
deep breath and let it out. “I guess you’re old enough to make
your own decision …”
“All
right!” exclaimed Trey.
“…But
before you do,” continued Dad, “I want you to thoroughly consider
the consequences of your decision, and I want you to pray about it.”
“Okay!”
Trey agreed. But even as he said it, he was already thinking about
how much fun they were going to have.
