Page 82 of Echoes of Eternity

“You’re right. I don’t know you, but what I do know is Christ died for you. And He loves you, and because of that, I love you too. There’s a lot of people here rooting for you.”

Ryan’s heart stirred with love, joy, and peace. His wife was maturing as a believer right before his eyes. Not because of anything he had done, but because of everything God had done.

That evening, after putting the boys to bed, Emily and Ryan plopped onto their couch in the living room. She laid her head gently on Ryan’s lap as she covered up with her favorite soft blanket. She was home in more ways than one. As they watched a movie together, her thoughts kept drifting to their daughter, Elizabeth. She still hadn’t arrived home from her youth group bonfire at the youth pastor’s house.

It was now just after eleven o’clock.

“You okay? You keep checking your phone.” Ryan paused the movie.

“Elizabeth’s bonfire. It was supposed to be done at ten o’clock.”

Ryan pulled his phone out and checked Elizabeth’s location. “Yep. It shows her still there. But it hasn’t updated in an hour.”

Ryan began to get up, gently moving her off his lap.

“What are you doing?”

“Going to get her.” As he reached for his shoes, the front door opened. Ryan caught his daughter’s gaze. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Nothing.” Elizabeth continued through the house, heading toward her bedroom.

As Emily saw Ryan follow after, she followed him, praying on the way.

Ryan caught up to her and stopped his daughter in the hall. “You okay?”

“What?” Elizabeth folded her arms and looked at him. It was easy to see that she had been crying.

“I asked if you were okay. It looks like you might be a little upset.”

Elizabeth tilted her head slightly, then looked over at Emily briefly, then back at her dad. “This guy I like was there and talking to a different girl. It hurt my feelings.”

“I’m sorry, Princess.”

“It’s okay.” Elizabeth let her arms down and she sighed. “I was outside sitting in Megan’s car, talking to her for the last half hour. I was already home. Sorry I didn’t say anything. My phone died at the bonfire.”

“Come here.” Ryan opened his arms in an embrace and hugged her. “We just got a little worried. I’m glad you’re okay, but this guy . . . Forget about him. He’s not good enough for you if he’s going around chatting up other girls. You got me?”

Elizabeth smiled through the pain and nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”

As she went into her bedroom and shut the door, Emily looked at Ryan. “Who are you and what have you done with my husband?”

Ryan laughed and shook his head. “Whatever. I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t have done.”

“But you get so angry about stuff since . . . Never mind. It’s just weird to see you calm.”

“I got angry because I felt like I was losing control. Once you left for California, I realized I don’t have any control. Over anyone or anything. God taught me that He knows all and sees all, and I learned to trust Him through it. Even when I don’t like what I’m looking at in my life.”

CHAPTER 24

On the following Saturday, Ryan and Jason, along with Conner, went to Spokane to help Linda and Tiffany move. Conner insisted on going along with them to help and explained the night before how he had been doing pushups every day that summer so he had the muscles. To both Jason and Ryan’s surprise, Conner was quite the little joke teller on the way back from Spokane in the moving truck.

“Why don’t old people ever get lost?” Conner lifted his eyebrows as he looked at Jason, then over at Ryan in the cab.

“Why?” Ryan asked.

“Because they’ve all been around the block!” He slapped his leg and laughed at his own joke.

Jason and Ryan both began to laugh.

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