Chapter 13: A Step of Faith

Noah had been thinking about it all night. The Bible study discussion about sharing the Gospel had stirred something inside him, but the thought of actually doing it made his stomach twist. What if he messed up? What if people laughed at him again?

But then he thought about Jason. The guy who mocked him for reading the Bible. The guy who always had something sarcastic to say. But what if there was more to Jason than just his attitude? What if he was struggling with something deeper?

The next day at school, Noah noticed Jason sitting alone outside during lunch. His usual loud and confident energy was missing. He looked... distracted. Maybe even upset.

Noah took a deep breath. This was it. A chance to take a step of faith.

Gripping his backpack strap tightly, he walked over. "Hey."

Jason looked up, eyebrows raising in surprise. "Oh. The church kid. What, here to save my soul?"

Noah swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. "No, just... checking in. You okay?"

Jason scoffed but didn't immediately push him away. He ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, whatever. Just... some stuff at home. Nothing you'd care about."

Noah hesitated, then sat down across from him. "I might care more than you think."

Jason looked at him for a long second, as if trying to figure out if he was serious. "It's just family stuff. My parents are always fighting. And I'm just... tired of it."

Noah nodded, feeling a pang of sympathy. He didn't know what that felt like, but he knew what it was like to feel alone.

"That sounds really tough," Noah said softly. "I know I don't have all the answers, but... whenever I feel lost, I pray. It helps. Even when I don't know what to say, I just talk to God."

Jason let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, well. God never really did anything for me."

Noah hesitated but felt a new kind of confidence rising in him. "Maybe you haven't given Him a chance to."

Jason's expression flickered, like he wasn't sure how to respond to that. He leaned back, staring at the sky. "I don't know, man. I just... I don't see the point."

Noah reached into his bag and pulled out his Bible. He flipped to Matthew 11:28 and slid it across the table. "This verse really helps me when I feel weighed down. You don't have to believe me, but... maybe just read it."

Jason hesitated before picking it up. His eyes scanned the words: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

He was quiet for a moment, then he set the Bible down. "Huh."

Noah didn't push. He didn't need to. He had planted the seed. And maybe, just maybe, that was enough for now.

As he walked back inside, he felt something unexpected—peace. He had done what he could. The rest was in God's hands.