There Must Be Something More

81 | Whose Side Are You On?

Samuel stared hard at me and Meredith. And then he turned to Meredith.

"You're kidding, right?" He said. He looked really wary. I felt sorry.

"Why would I kid about something like this?" Meredith said.

"Meredith!" Samuel cried in disbelief. "What have you done? Do you know what you've done?"

"Yes." She said. She didn't seem fazed still. She looked at Samuel square in the face and stood tall. "I just accepted an amazing opportunity to reason with our schoolmates. We could lead them right to Jesus if we do this right."

"Do what right?" Samuel said. He rubbed his forehead in agitation. "You just challenged a man who has studied history and science all his life! And he has the actual authority to expel us from this school whenever he wants to. Meredith, do you know what an expulsion will do to my scholarship and my college application? It will ruin me."

Meredith looked worried now. Her forehead creased a little, her eyebrows arched. 

"I didn't know," she said. Her voice seemed small.

"Well, you could have thought about what you were going to say!" Samuel said.

I couldn't say anything. Samuel was clearly perplexed, and Meredith was obviously in the verge of tears. I didn't know whose side to take.

"Come on, let's all calm down," Trey said.

"Calm down?" Samuel turned to him. "What will my mom say? Principal Powell is obviously going to expel us if we continue with this. Mom has my future all planned out--in fact, we have!"

"Don't you realize that Meredith could be really right about this?" Trey said, looking at him straight. "Samuel, we could actually prove to this pagan school God exists. That there's evidence for Him if there is."

"If there is," Samuel mumbled.

"I say there is," Meredith said. "Haven't you ever heard of Matthew 19:26? With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible! An evidence for Jesus is possible. Nothing is ever impossible with our Lord."

"And how ever are you going to prove that?" Samuel asked. "Principal Powell has studied science and physics and all that stuff all his life, he could give you some very convincing arguments and evidence and studies about his worldview. What about you?"

"That's why we're going to research about this."

"We?" Samuel snapped. He shook his head. He backed away, looking right at her. "No. There's no 'we' in this. I'm not going through with this."

"Samuel," Trey said.

"No, I'm not. This is crazy. Meredith, you've done crazy things, and they were all okay. But this one? No. You've stepped over the line and I can't support you on this," he said. "You all want to have yourselves expelled and lose your future over a situation where we've clearly lost? Fine. But not me. At least I still have my intelligence and common sense with me."

Meredith didn't react, but she looked like she thought a million things all at once. Her hands were in front of her, folded in front of her chest. This was the first time I saw her stony faced.

"Well, I'm sticking with Meredith," Trey said. "She got a Rhema about this--from Jesus Himself. I'm not backing down. He'll work this out Himself if He really established it. And He did. I've got no reason to fear."

"Me, too. Future schmuture," Lily said. She walked next to Meredith. So did Aubrey.

Samuel shook his head. 

And then they all turned to me. I had not moved from my spot for the last couple of minutes. I didn't think I wanted to move, either. 

"Charlie?" Samuel said, looking at me with hope. I turned to the other side. Meredith looked at me, too, just like she had when she expected I was going to wave back to her from the infirmary and I didn't because I thought Christianity was all a phase.

"Well, dude? Whose side are you going to be on?" Trey asked. He stared at me as if I held the winning streak. Did I, though? I felt like a loser myself.

I didn't want to choose. I wanted to agree with Samuel, but I wanted to agree with Meredith too.

But let's be honest here, I thought. Science could clearly disprove the existence of God. I've always viewed the Bible as a major contradiction to science and philosophy and reason. 

And then I also thought about my baseball team. I could lose my scholarship also. I wanted to get into a good college where they really had great athletics. My scholarship was going to help me do so. And if I lost it, I wouldn't know what to do or say to my parents.

I clenched my fists shakily.

I walked to Samuel's side.

Meredith's face didn't change. She looked at me, then looked down the ground. Trey shook his head in disappointment. Lily and Aubrey looked confused.

"Thank you, dude," Samuel patted my shoulder.

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"I don't want to be mean or whatever," Samuel said, walking beside me across the school parking lot. "But come on. Science and God just don't add up. It won't make sense. There's more evidence for evolution than there is for God."

I nodded. "But I thought about what Meredith said too. I mean, we all know God created the universe and all. And He definitely is real, there's no doubt about that. So shouldn't there be an evidence? I mean, if there wasn't any, that wouldn't make sense."

Samuel sighed and shook his head. "I don't really know, man, alright? But I see this as a no-win situation. And my future is at stake. I'm not taking that."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking before I chose to be on your side too," I admitted. 

I didn't know what else to think until I passed by the desert on the way home. The sunset cast a strong orange glow across the horizon. The clouds broke off into chunks and sprinkled the sky like cotton candy.

I shook my head in amazement. In an intelligent creation like this, there has to be an intelligent Creator. I can't believe no one is realizing this.

I closed my eyes. God, please tell me what to do or think. I don't know what. I highly doubt there is any concrete evidence of You. But if there is, please show me to it. Somehow. You went and died a painful death for me on the cross. This is the least I could do for You. In Jesus's name. Amen.

I cranked the radio on and stumbled upon a Christian song. It went, God of creation, there at the start before the beginning of time. With no point of reference, You spoke to the dark and fleshed out the wonder of light.

I listened the whole drive home.