A Test of Faith by Karen Ball

Author:Karen Ball [Ball, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-307-76943-5
Publisher: The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group
Published: 2010-12-28T16:00:00+00:00

Anne was slipping her key into the front door when she heard the phone ringing. Scrambling to get inside without dropping any of her packages, she shoved the door open and rushed to the kitchen.

“Keep ringing …”

She dumped her packages on the table, muttering to herself when one of them slid off the edge and fell to the floor. She grabbed for the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mrs. Bennett. It’s Sarah McMannis. Is Faith home yet?”

As battling emotions swept her, Anne went to pick up the bag that had fallen on the floor. Faith returned from camp several weeks ago so different, at least in the way she treated Anne. The anger and rebellion seemed to have disappeared. Though Faith didn’t talk about it, Anne knew the change was due, in large part, to Sarah.

Anne told herself over and over she should be grateful to Sarah; instead she’d finally admitted she was jealous. Jealous of the fact that Sarah had been able to reach Faith when Anne couldn’t. Jealous Faith was far more interested in talking with Sarah than in talking with her own mother.

Ever since that revelation, Anne was careful to use a neutral tone of voice with Sarah, a tone that gave away nothing of her inner struggle. “No, Faith’s not home yet. She said she’d be late because she was helping tutor a couple of kids in English.”

“Tutoring, huh? That’s great. I guess it really took, didn’t it?”

Anne frowned. “What took?”

“You know, Faith’s conversion. At camp.”

Anne’s mouth went dry. Her heart pounded. She put her hand on the back of a chair and lowered herself into it. “Her … her conversion?”

There was a moment’s silence. “Didn’t Faith tell you what happened at camp?”

All Anne could manage was a ragged whisper. “No.”

“Mrs. Bennett, Faith accepted Christ at camp.”

Anne’s eyes drifted shut. She should be thrilled. Ecstatic. Instead, she was almost shaking from the pain screaming through her. Faith had accepted Christ? She’d made the most important, wonderful decision of her life … and she hadn’t breathed a word of the experience to Anne.

Surely Faith knew how much it would mean to her to hear what had happened. Surely Faith realized how important God and faith in Christ were to Anne. Hadn’t she talked about it from the time Faith was a baby? Hadn’t she read Faith Bible stories, sung her songs and hymns? Hadn’t they prayed together from the time Faith was old enough to understand talking to God?

A sob caught in Anne’s throat.

Hadn’t she begged Faith, these last few years, to let God in? And now, when she’d finally done exactly that, she did it in silence. Without telling her mother.

Or her father, Anne realized. If Faith had told Jared about it, he would have said something.

“Mrs. Bennett, I’m sorry.”

Sarah’s quiet compassion almost freed the tears Anne was holding back. But she shored up her resistance and straightened. “It’s okay, Sarah. I’m glad to know this happened—”

You’re lying. You’re angry. Hurt. Far from glad.

“—and thank you for your part in helping my daughter.

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