chapter 5
951 Words
Chapter 5 — Sunday Morning
Sunday morning arrived quietly at the Hathaway house.
Anna stood in front of her mirror, getting ready for church. On her bedside table was the Bible she had been reading more often lately.
She picked it up and opened it.
She stared at the pages for a moment.
“God,” she whispered, “if You're really there, help me understand You.”
She closed the Bible and placed it back on the table.
Downstairs, Lucio was already waiting.
Mr. Hathaway stood near the door, dressed in his usual formal clothes. Mrs. Hathaway was checking that everyone was ready.
“Anna,” Mrs. Hathaway called. “We're leaving in five minutes.”
“Coming!”
Anna hurried downstairs.
Lucio looked at her.
“You're finally ready.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Good morning to you too.”
He smiled.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
But Lucio's mind wasn't at peace.
He had been thinking about someone.
Someone he couldn't easily talk about.
Someone he liked.
A boy , Daniel
He didn't know what would happen if his family ever found out.
The Hathaway name carried expectations.
And Lucio wasn't sure whether those expectations had room for the person he really was.
Anna had her own secret.
There was a girl she couldn't stop thinking about.
Every time she thought of her, Anna felt confused.
Not because she didn't know what she felt.
She did.
What confused her was what those feelings meant for her relationship with God.
Could she still search for God while having questions about herself?
She didn't know.
---
The family arrived at church together.
The Hathaway name was familiar to many people, and several members greeted Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway warmly.
Anna followed her parents inside.
Lucio sat beside her.
The service began with worship.
Anna tried to focus, but her thoughts wandered.
God, what do You want from me?
She didn't expect an answer.
But she hoped for one.
After the worship, the pastor stepped forward.
“Today,” he said, “I want to speak about something many people struggle with.”
The church became quiet.
“Sometimes we become so afraid of disappointing people that we forget that God already knows our hearts.”
Anna looked up.
Lucio stopped moving.
The pastor opened his Bible.
“Psalm 139:1 says, ‘You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.’”
Anna felt the words hit her.
You know me.
Even the parts she hadn't told anyone.
The pastor continued.
“God knows the questions you have. He knows the things you are afraid to say. He knows your past, your fears, your hopes, and your struggles.”
Lucio stared at the floor.
His thoughts went straight to his adoption.
His biological parents.
The questions he had never received answers to.
And the boy he had been afraid to tell anyone about.
The pastor turned to another passage.
“Proverbs 3:5–6 says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.’”
Anna lowered her eyes.
That was exactly what she was struggling with.
She wanted everything explained.
She wanted to know what God thought about her life.
She wanted to know whether she could truly belong to Him while still having so many questions.
The pastor continued.
“Faith doesn't mean you understand everything immediately. Sometimes faith means admitting, ‘God, I don't understand this, but I'm willing to keep seeking You.’”
Anna felt tears forming in her eyes.
That was all she could offer.
She could keep seeking.
Lucio looked toward the cross.
For years, he had wondered whether his life had been decided for him.
He was the adopted son of the wealthy Hathaway family.
He was expected to succeed.
To protect the family name.
To become the person everyone expected him to be.
But who was he when nobody was watching?
The pastor's final words were simple.
“Don't spend your whole life trying to become someone else just because you're afraid of disappointing people. Bring your questions to God. Bring your fears to God. Bring your whole heart to God.”
The church became silent.
Anna closed her eyes.
“I'm still looking,” she whispered.
Lucio heard her.
He smiled faintly.
“So am I,” he whispered.
---
After the service, the Hathaway family stayed behind.
Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway spoke with some friends while Anna and Lucio waited outside.
Anna held her Bible against her chest.
Lucio walked beside her.
“That sermon was intense,” he said.
Anna nodded.
“It felt like it was meant for me.”
“Same.”
They walked quietly for a few moments.
Anna looked at him.
“You ever feel like you're scared people won't accept the real you?”
Lucio stopped.
For a moment, he didn't answer.
Then he nodded.
“Yeah.”
Anna didn't ask why.
She didn't need to.
She had her own fears.
Her own questions.
Her own secret feelings for someone she wasn't ready to talk about.
Lucio looked at her.
“Maybe that's why we're both searching.”
“Searching for what?”
He thought about it.
“Maybe the courage to be honest.”
Anna smiled softly.
“Maybe.”
Neither sibling knew what the future held.
Anna was searching for God.
Lucio was searching for answers about his past and trying to understand his future.
And both were carrying parts of themselves they weren't ready to reveal.
But that Sunday morning had given them something neither expected.
Hope.
Not answers.
Not certainty.
Just hope.
And sometimes, that was enough to take the next step.
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