A Hundredfold

“Social Suicide,” Becky said “That is totally social suicide!” A group of cheerleaders sat in a semicircle around me, eight of them to be exact. It was the week of Cheerleading camp and the coach had sent them.

“Come on, this a chance of a lifetime.” Another Cheerleader, Jenny says. “Once you are a cheerleader it a ticket into the ‘In Crowd’, the friends, the status, the parties and of course” she said with a sigh, “the boys!”

Katie, the team leader, hadn’t said much which was unusual for her. She was a good friend to me. She had been the only one who reached out to me the year before when I came in halfway through the school year. She encouraged me to try for my dream of cheering again, after I had to change schools and lost my place on my former team. She made me try out for the High School Cheer Team and cried with me when I didn’t make the team. Katie argued with the coach saying it wasn’t fair that we did not even do actual try outs. How they didn’t pick me when only 10 tried out for a team of 9 and I was picked off the team for no logical reason.

“But how about your dreams?”, Katie speaking up, “Being apart of the cheer team? We need a flyer and you have experience! This is what you worked for, this is what you wanted. With the whole switch up with the teams, I’m short a team mate and I want you on the team. Everything is set, we just need to order a new uniform for you. Everything is paid for, and all of the team wants you. It your dream and everything is set for you. Why are you passing this up?”

“Things have changed I just can’t explain it.” I replied, “I no longer want to be apart of cheer team.”

“Social Suicide that what it is, social suicide, in other words there goes all your friends right out the door.” Becky pipes up and uses her fingers to demonstrate all my friends walking out the door.

“Hush Becky, you don’t know what you are talking about! She will always be apart of us, even if she not a cheerleader. We have plenty of friends that are not in cheer, she one of us.” Katie said harshly. Becky looked annoyed then went back to applying make up to her already overly makeup face. Katie turned back to me and quietly said, “Even if no one else is your friend, I will be yours friend, always! I promise!”

The conversations continue on, the eight girls tried everything, bargain, threats and begging. The coaches called me on the phone and enticed me with all kinds of things. Katie and I spent time together discussions, she often would ask if I could be apart of the team because we were friends. Yet, I wouldn’t budge, why? It was that summer that I dedicated my life to God and I knew that being apart of the cheer team was not something that God would want me to do.

As school started up, the cheer team kept their word and allowed me to be apart of them. I sat with them at lunch, hung out with them and I was apart of the “In Crowd”. But overtime, I realize that this was not a group of friends I spend my time with, I had changed too much. I wasn’t interested in the parties, team, and the high school guys, and they were not interested in God, church and things in that nature. Overtime we all drifted apart. By the end of the school year, the team didn’t even remember me and even Katie only said Hi in passing. I had become the girl who sat alone at lunch.
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“There’s Devi,” Mary whispered, “and they brought their youth this year.” We both leaned forward and waved across the aisle. Devi noticed and waved back and other in her group did also.

“Did you notice the groups from Texas are here?” I said to Mary. She nodded.

“It so good to see them, I wish we could see them more often.” Mary replied, I agreed.

“I saw the girls from California that we met last year are here.” Janelle said joining the conversation. Before any of us could reply, the service began. I looked around it was so good to see so many friends. I love convention for the fellowship with God and with friends.

As service continued, Rev. Tommy Johnson got up and told a story about when he was about 19; he had a chance at a career in music. Yet, God had different plans, he forsook his dreams and laid down his guitar and followed God. He left behind, singing in front of big crowds, he left behind a guitar and left behind a “chance of a lifetime”. He realized years later that God had blessed him and now instead of the one guitar, he had three much better guitars. He also could sing and play for God almighty the greatest of them all. He didn’t leave behind a “chance of a lifetime” but he instead got a chance of eternal life. He punctuated his story by singing in front of a crowd around a thousand people who stood on their feet, praising God!

After an awesome service, we spent much time fellowshipping and catching up with old friends. There were kids from over 10+ states, and more coming later on in the week.

“Finally, I can say Hi!”, She said grabbing me into a hug. “It’s so good to see you! I’ve been trying to say Hi ALL night. You are quite the popular!”

I laughed and replied, “I’m not popular, just well known.”

“Whatever you want to call it, you have tons of friends. I can imagine in high school, everyone must of known you.” She said.

I just smiled and nodded, thinking if she only knew. Yet, I stood there in the mist of friends. It was only ten years ago, that I sat alone in the cafeteria in high school. Now I looked around and saw that now I had more friends then popularity of the cheer team could ever give me. I had friends that I had met through the years that would pick up from where we left off even if it was years between the times we met.

Then I remember the scripture that Rev. Johnson had mention earlier in the service. Mark 10:29-30

“And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath
left house, or brethren, or sister, or father, or mother, or wife, or children,
or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s But he shall receive an hundredfold now
in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and
lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”

I realize that God had blessed me with a hundredfold when it came to friends. I knew people from all over the states, and even a few around the world. I may have sacrificed my chance of popularity in high school but now I had more friends then I could count. I knew that God was too good to me.

Much later that evening, I started thinking about Katie. She was good friend, I had seen her at the bank and recognized her right off, but she barely recognized me. From a mutual friend I found out that she got into drinking and nearly lost her status on the cheer team. My heart hurt for her, and I started remembering about how she was a good friend. God had given me more friends then I can count, but I had lost a good friend.

Then I realized I had not, I had gained even greater closer friends. Friends I could cry with, friends I could laugh, giggle and joke with, friends to share secrets with and talk about boys with. I looked around, in the hotel suite that several girls were sharing. They were all over the room, laughing and talking and giggling over silly things. The girls in my youth group had become close friends with me. They knew my hopes and dreams and helped me to strive for them. They fought for things for me. I thought again about Mark 10: 29-30, and thought how Rev. Johnson had left behind a guitar and could gain more later on. I now understand why God lead me to leave behind friends so I can receive a hundredfold of friends in return.

“There is no man that hath left (friends), for my sake, and the gospel’s But he
shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, and in the world to come eternal
life.”

*Dedicated to the LLOL, you are my hundredfold and more.*