Episode 6: The Boy Who Didn’t Try
Weekly Reading: Chapter 6
Woah! Talk about ending on a cliff-hanger—or should we say, rope-hanger! Last we read, poor Annie Ingalls is hanging fearfully from a rope outside the flour mill—long forgotten by the impervious (defined as: not capable of being affected or disturbed) Kelly Nash. Thankfully Annie makes it safely down the rope (phew! That was close!), but what do you think will happen as a result of Kelly’s thoughtless actions?
Well, we’ve been talking a lot about Kelly and Annie, but there’s another character who is about to come to the forefront.
Truman Ingalls, like many Christians, tries to do the right thing, but often he lets his flesh (what he wants to do rather than what God says is right) get the better of him. He wants to follow Jesus, but instead of stopping and asking God for help in difficult situations, he often takes matters into his own hands, and follows his first instinct. Which, in this case, is revenge.
As Annie pours out the story of her terrifying rope adventure before her mother, Truman stands in the background as a silent listener. All the while, a terrible feeling is creeping into his heart—not fear, not sadness or compassion, but burning indignation (which, by the way, means anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean)! That Kelly Nash is going to pay for what he’s done!
Truman darts down the road, straight to the mill, “determined to give Kelly such a whipping as he would never forget.” As he stealthily springs toward his unsuspecting victim, Truman, rather than getting the best of Kelly, is bested himself. Quick as a cat, Kelly jumps out of the way, leaving Truman to fall full-force onto a sharp stone step.
Ouch! Truman’s impulsive actions come back to bite him pretty quickly. What do you think you would have done if you were in Truman’s shoes? Have you ever been in a situation like this? Someone does something to hurt you, annoy you, or make you angry, or hurts someone you love and care about, and immediately you react with anger, the silent treatment, dirty looks, hurtful words, or even physical harm! How did the revenge feel? If you are a child of God, then taking vengeance into your own hands should make you feel worse—with much regret!
It is an honorable thing to protect the innocent when they are in harm, but Truman is not acting out of true integrity, but out of pride and vengeful anger (grrrrrrrrr). He is so caught up in how others are messing up that he can’t see his own faults. That is not a good place to be. If Truman, like Annie, had remembered the word of God which says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19), then it might have helped him to stop and think before carrying out his foolish plan.
With an aching and bleeding head, Truman is bandaged by Kelly. As Kelly and Truman are walking home, Kelly delivers a stinging statement, “Well, if Annie’s a Christian, there’s something in it, that’s certain. But I should never have found out much by you.”
Ouch, again! Truman is not doing a very good job showing Kelly what Jesus is like. Remember Jesus’ words, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). This is a turning point for Truman. Maybe that hit on the head was just the thing?
This week, challenge yourself with this question: “Do people see Jesus in me by the way I act?” Then, asking God to help you, watch as He starts changing your heart towards difficult people and away from pride, anger, and judgment. And, like Truman, let this be your honest plea, “I want to be better than I am,” and “Jesus, I need your help!”
Weekly Activity
In today’s exciting chapter, Kelly finds Annie lowering herself out of the loft window using a rope. Today we’re going to get creative and draw a 3-panel comic strip of what happened in this story. You’ll want to grab a clean white piece of paper and your favorite pen or pencil! Here is an idea of how you may choose to layout your comic strip drawing:
1. Annie finds a way to escape in the loft
2. Annie lowers herself slowly down from the upper window, keeping her eyes up and focused; Kelly finds Annie and is bewildered by her actions!
3. As Annie gets closer to reaching the ground, Kelly grows impatient and helps her reach the ground safely.
Memory Verse
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
Study Guide Questions for Chapter 6:
Kelly Nash:
The Boy Who Didn’t Think
Every week there will be a reading assignment. So if you don’t have one already, be sure to purchase your very own copy of the book!
