Hell

Following rules is not a problem. Sometimes it's hard to know what they all are, but once you find out, well you just follow them, and then you're okay. Where it starts to be a problem though, is that you don't get saved by just following rules. Jesus said God isn't impressed by outward show. He cares about what's in your heart. And once I start to really think about it, I realize that what's in my heart isn't what God wants to be there.

I Stop Hating Karen

At first after she's born, I hate my sister Karen more than anything. She cries all the time, and she poops her diapers. And the grown-ups don't notice how disgusting she is, they just keep on liking her. They take millions of pictures of her. They never take pictures of Linda or me any more, but all Karen has to do is sit there, and out comes the camera, because that's apparently the cutest thing in the world. She sleeps in her crib. I want to know! How is that special? I sleep too, and no one ever wants to take a picture of me. She washes dishes. What's so big about that? Don't I do the same thing practically every night?

Me and Jesus

Everyone knows it is very important to accept Jesus into your heart, because otherwise you won't be a Christian, and you can't go to Heaven. If you don't go to Heaven, you will go to Hell. You will burn in a lake of fire and be away from your family forever. If you do go to Heaven, you get to sing hymns and listen to Jesus' words for all of eternity. This sounds a lot like going to church for me, and it's not very interesting. But I sure don't want to go to Hell!

I Turn Into a Bad Kid at Haydock Junior High School

Jesus says we should turn the other cheek. He says if someone hurts us, we should not fight back. Even if someone hurts us a lot of times, or steals our stuff, we should only give them love and forgiveness. This is a problem, because the kids that used to just yell insults once in a while, when I walked past on my way to the bus stop, now are doing it every day. Then they start throwing stones.

One day when I'm in Sixth Grade, I just can't take any more of it. I go after the kid who was throwing the stones, who's this little brat a couple years younger than me, named Richie. I start hitting Richie. Then he starts hitting me back. Then it's a real fight, and before I know it, I have Richie on the ground and I am hitting him again and again.

“You can stop now,” says this other kid from the neighborhood named Kevin. “You've won.”

I look down and he's right. Richie isn't fighting any more, he's just lying there crying. I turn around and walk the rest of the way to my bus stop, and it turns out the bus hasn't even come yet.