Parent
Student
Teacher
Retiree
Doctor
Parent: I’m a parent. Maybe not the best, but a parent. I have 2 teenage kids. I just don’t understand them. All I want is the best for them. I try and guide them, but all I get is anger from them. Is this a hormone thing??? Do other people have this problem? I can't be the only one! The worst part is they are running around with kids that I don’t approve of. They say it’s my problem. I try and understand, but it’s so hard. I go to church every week with my kids, but they just skip out. I just don’t know what to do. I thought I had reached the end of my rope when one of them was put in jail for shoplifting. I really didn’t know what to do, but then it happened..
Student: Yeah, I’m a student at the local high school. I got good grades. Kept my nose clean. Tried to follow the “path of least resistance”. But the peer pressure is enormous. All my friends are doing it. You know ... doing drugs, drinking beer, and partying. I tried it once.. I had a couple of beers with my friends. Smoked a joint.. It was great. Then my friends tried to get me to sell drugs. They told me that no one would suspect me ... I was too much of a goody two shoe ... and besides, the money was great. So I believed my friend, but I got caught in a police sting. I was in jail and my parents were out of town. I didn’t know what to do and then it happened…
Teacher: I’m a high school teacher. I teach English to a wide range of students. I try to keep the class interesting and keep the interaction lively. Unfortunately, I have students who don’t want to be in class and show it. I watch the students in the hall and they show no respect to any teacher. I have seen teachers get punched and even one that had a gun pulled on them. Where are our standards? When I was in school, we respected our teachers. Today, we can barely get the minimum out of them. I had reached the end of my rope with teaching and was ready to chuck it all, and then it happened.
Retiree: They say when you retire, you can “enjoy the good life”. You can, if you can afford it. I have a nice pension, but the company I worked for has changed the benefits. My package got cut by 40%. To add to this, they just found out my wife has Alzheimer’s. My kids are so far away that I have no one to help me through this. I have insurance, but even that won't pay for everything. We have savings, but according to our accountant, that could be done within 2 to 3 years. I just didn’t know where to turn, and then it happened..
Doctor: I’m a doctor in the Emergency Room. I see it all. The gunshots, the stabbings, the whole gamut. I have seen a 13 year old girl pregnant by her father, I have seen women come in with broken cheekbones, broken arms, and eyes swollen shut. I have wanted to tell the authorities, but no one wanted to stand up. Every woman said not to… I see the husbands and look at them. I wonder what kind of man are they that they could do such a thing? I see the father whose daughter is pregnant and wonder what kind of person is this? At the end of the day, I just want to scream because of all the injustice. Just when I thought I couldn’t go any further, it happened.
Parent: I picked up the Bible...
Student: I picked up the Bible...
Teacher: I picked up the Bible...
Retiree: I picked up the Bible...
Doctor: I picked up the Bible...
Parent: I never realized what it said
Student: I never read it.
Teacher: It just kind of hit me.
Retiree: It was really an eye opening experience.
Doctor: I never had a chance.
Parent: I prayed. For the first time in a LONG TIME, I actually prayed. I prayed that he would give me guidance and direction. After I prayed, I opened the bible and it was like he was turning the pages.. He led me to where I needed to be. He showed me what I needed to do.
Student: I prayed.. I really didn’t know what to pray for, but I prayed. About then, the Police Chaplain came by. He sat with me and talked with me about God. I had never really sat and listened. I read what he asked me to and it made me think. As soon as I started to pray with the chaplain, I felt a great burden being lifted from me. I asked him to forgive me and I felt a real presence.
Teacher: I prayed. I prayed for guidance. I picked up the Bible and opened it. I found passages in the Bible that I never realized were there. I read things I never knew existed. I felt a presence like I never felt before. I never really read the Bible, but now I can’t put it down.
Retiree: I prayed. I prayed for strength. As soon as I did that, my phone rang. I t was my kids saying they were moving back. I couldn’t believe my ears. After the phone call, I picked up the bible. I don’t know what, but the book fell open on a certain page. I started reading and all of a sudden, everything became clear.
Doctor: I prayed. I needed some reassurance that I was doing the right thing. I opened my Bible. I read things I had read before, but now they were making more sense. I felt a real calm come over me. It’s a feeling I have never felt before.
Parent: But the one thing I learned...
Student: The more important thing I learned...
Teacher: The best thing I learned...
Retiree: The most important lesson I learned...
Doctor: The thing that stands out is...
EVERYONE: JESUS DIED FOR ME..
Parent: Until I realized that...
Student: And accepted it....
Teacher: and asked for Forgiveness....
Retiree: I was just treading water.
Doctor: I was just walking through life.
Parent: Now, I have a new perspective. My kids are involved in church. We had rough times, but now, we can see where we are going and are communicating. It makes our life so much easier.
Student: I dropped my “so-called friends”. I served time, but, now that I know Jesus, life is much better. I know I don’t need drugs, or alcohol, or anything else. All I need is his word.
Teacher: I became more focused. I made the classes think. I made everyone work, and accepted them for who they were. Once I had done that, my classes flourished. We accomplished more this year than in any other. I even had to make more lessons at the end of the year, because they wanted to. And the nice thing is most of these kids said thanks and THAT is worth its weight in gold.
Retiree: I just can’t believe the burden that was lifted from me. I found a help group for spouses of Alzheimer’s patients. I just couldn’t believe all the good things that I have. Now, my life is better and all because I took the time to pray.
Doctor: I finally decided to take control. Every person that came in, I prayed for them. I gave them a hug. I told them that no matter what, they could trust me and that I cared what happened to them. You know the funny thing” I have never seen any of them back in the ER and I have even had letters saying THANK YOU for what I had done. I hadn’t done anything really, I didn’t think… It’s amazing..
Parent: The things we have talked about...
Student: Been through...
Teacher: Wrestled with...
Retiree: Worried about...
Doctor: Agonized over...
Parent: Jesus...
Student: Jesus...
Teacher: Jesus...
Retiree: Jesus...
Doctor: Jesus...
EVERYONE: Took it all away.
Parent: What a joy.
Student: What a blessing.
Teacher: What a relief.
Retiree: What a gift.
Doctor: What a great new life...
EVERYONE: We all have because of his unselfishness.
Parent: We don’t want you to think...
Student: That this happened over night...
Teacher: It took time...
Retiree: It took effort...
Doctor: It took lots of will power...
Parent: No one ever said...
Student: Staying on the “straight and narrow”...
Teacher: ... was easy. In fact...
Retiree: It’s probably harder. But in this case...
Doctor: The harder you work, the more enjoyable the prize.
Parent: All we ever asked...
Student: All we ever wanted....
Teacher: All we ever needed...
Retiree: All we ever required...
Doctor: All we ever had to have...
EVERYONE: Was the knowledge that no matter what....
Parent: He...
Student: Will...
Teacher: NEVER...
Retiree: Fail ...
Doctor: Us.
Parent: Let us pray… Heavenly Father...
Student: Grant us the peace that passes all understanding...
Teacher: Guide us and direct us...
Retiree: As we go through our lives...
Doctor: Knowing that as long as you are at the center...
Parent: We can never fail.
Student: In your name we pray...
Teacher: Humbly...
Retiree: fervently...
Doctor: Reverently...
EVERYONE: and the assembled said
CONGREGATION: AMEN!!!
.............................................
© Michael Humphrey, All rights reserved.
This play may be performed free of charge, on the condition that copies
are not sold for profit in any medium, nor any entrance fee charged. In
exchange for free performance, the author would appreciate being notified
of when and for what purpose the play is performed. He may be contacted
at: mjhumphrey_58@yahoo.com