Come Unto Christ Project

A Complicated Problem and an Easy Solution

A Parable of Coming Unto Christ

By: Kelly Baker

“Ugh!” Katie exclaimed as she slammed the door behind her. She slid off her pound of bricks she called her backpack, slipped out of her shoes and sunk her behind into the nearest sofa. Her mother, hearing her distress, popped her head out of the kitchen entryway just enough for Katie to see the powder blue apron hanging around her neck covered in flour, or was it powder sugar? Her mother continued her way into the living room carrying a red plastic bowl stirring the contents in it like mad.

“I take it school wasn’t too great, huh?” her mother said squeezing in just enough sarcasm to lighten the mood. She noticed the furrowed brow and the crossed arms of her daughter and decided to take a seat.

“People are dumb, sometimes, really dumb. Sometimes I can’t even understand how DUMB people can be,” Katie huffed. A puzzled look swept across her mother’s face and Katie continued to explain her frustrations. “I got my math test back today…” she began picking at her cuticles, and swung her head low in solitude.

As Katie rummaged around in her backpack looking for the source of her shame, her mother interjected “You mean the test that you’ve been putting off studying for, for the last two weeks?” the I-told-you-to-study-math-not-mess-around-on-Facebook-look reawakened the overwhelming guilt Katie had safely locked inside herself during the last two weeks. Math just wasn’t on the forefront of her mind, she had friends that needed her, she was trying to get ready for her lead role in the school’s upcoming play, she had other things she needed to do! So she put off the test, always intending to do a little here and there, but as each day had passed, so did the opportunity to study. That unfortunate day came and Katie wasn’t ready in the least. All she heard were the nagging comments from her mother warning her to come in and study and prepare. That’s where the guilt started, but until today, when she received the judgment from her actions the past few weeks, she had locked it away. Put a key into the lock and then swallowed it whole along with any emotion she felt would make her look weak to the outside world.

“Kate, let me see” he mother wiped her batter-frosted hand across her lap and held it out to receive the paper Katie was practically guarding with her life. 69.95%. Just barely failing. Five points was the difference between Katie being pleased with herself and skating on by, and the absolute misery she felt now. How can I fix this? This test was 20% of my grade and I’ve thrown it away. Is there any hope for me to even pass this class? Maybe I should just quit? Katie’s thoughts apparently translated right into her features because her mother lifted her chin and replied.

“Don’t beat yourself up, it does no good. Find someone to help you, is there anyone in your class that could tutor you?”

Lyle. Lyle Carmichael, the wiz kid. Some people couldn’t stand him because he was so prominently the teacher’s star student and example. Katie really didn’t bother with him because he wasn’t in her circle of people, but if anyone could help her now, it’d be Lyle.

The following day loomed over Katie like a dark cloud as she approached the one person who might be able to save her. “Um, uh” her feet skittered underneath her in sheer anxiety, as she reached out a finger to tap him on the shoulder. “Uh, Lyle?”

A beautifully golden blonde head of hair swished around, gently falling in front of his green eyes. Lyle was decently attractive, but no one ever noticed due to the size of his IQ. Why is he not in a private school Katie thought? “Yeah, what do you—oh, Katie?”

How did he know my name? I’ve never said two words to this kid?! Katie inhaled deeply to calm her racing mind, and continued. “Lyle, I, uh, I was wondering if I could get your help. I’m not doing so great in class…” She slid the test onto his desk as if it were a poison she had to show him but hoped he’d never take.

He looked a little bewildered as he looked at the test. He glanced back at her and then down at the test and replied “But, Katie, I thought you were great at math?”

She wanted to scream how would you know that! You didn’t know me last year! But she composed herself and said “Yeah, I just, I need some help. Would you mind?” He looked down at the test, gave a little inward sigh, then looked back at her completely turning himself to face her.

“I’d love to.”

Over the following weeks they spent hours studying, researching, and discussing different aspects of the material they were learning. Lyle also told Katie of a secret tip that could pull her out of the deep hole she had dug for herself.

“Wait. What? You mean there’s actually hope for me to pass this class?” she asked with intensity and excitement gleaming in her eyes.

Lyle put down his pencil and chuckled a little. “Yeah, there’s always hope. We just need to talk to the teacher and get you some makeup assignments.” Her stomach did an Olympic back flip. I’ve been working my butt off for the last three weeks just to stay on TOP of this class! Now, he’s telling me I have to add MORE to the chaos? This really is hopeless. Again her frustrations seeped right into her expression and it was like Lyle read her mind.

“Yes, you need to do more in order to fix that grade. Because of how much weight was on that test, you’re going to have to work a little harder than most in this class.” She didn’t want to believe him, but she knew he was completely right. She was between a rock and a hard place, and she had no other choice than to take the hand he was offering her at that moment.

“So, have you ever had to do makeup work, Lyle?” she asked in the spirit of curiosity.

He did that light little chuckle again that made Katie smile, and answered her question. “No, no, I haven’t needed to do it for myself; but I do help others with theirs. I don’t like to see people struggle.”

Katie thought on his words for a moment. “So, why didn’t you help me before? I failed my test! I was struggling.”

He turned to her, took the pencil out of her fisted hand, and said point blank “Katie, if I had come to you three weeks before that test and asked if you needed my help, would you have made any effort to study with me?” he waited, and when she gave him a slow, solemn shake of her head he continued “No, you had to come to me when you were ready. You needed to realize and learn for yourself the benefit of studying and preparation.”

She continued on with her tutoring sessions with Lyle for the rest of the semester. Fifteen assignments of fifty questions each was her sentence. She thought it would be entirely too much to handle. But she kept going. After that test her grade dropped from a B to a D+. By May she had worked hard enough to pull it up to a B-.

It was the last day of class for the year, and Lyle was packing his things away for the day. Katie walked up beside him and sat in the desk next to him. “Thanks. Really, I, uh, I couldn’t have made it without you.” Wow that was cheesy, Kate. He paused for a second before fully zipping up his back pack and lifted his head to meet her.

“Anytime. You’re a cool girl, Katie. Smart, fun, and motivated. Don’t lose sight of that.” A coy little smile crept its way across her face as she gave him a little shrug of her shoulders.

“I try.” There was a final silence between them and then the bell rang “Oh! Hey, so I’m taking algebra II next year. You mind?”

Again with his light chuckle he replied “I’ll be there whenever you need me.”