Allison can be in her late twenties/early thirties and a single mom of two young children. Her daughter Brittney is in second grade and her son Josh is in kindergarten. She never married their father, and he’s been out of their lives for five years. He does not pay child support. She does her parents to help her with her children, but for the most part she has tried to keep herself from what she considers being a burden to them.
To compensate for all of this, Allison projects the outside impression that she can “do it all” without anyone else’s help—as of the beginning of this story, she seems to be backing up this impression. She works full-time as a station manager, picks her children up from after-school care, makes dinner, stays up late getting ready for the next day, and starts it over again. She is highly organized and an asset to the station, but she’s in a constant state of exhaustion.
Allison is open-minded about Jesus and doesn’t put up much resistance to Amy’s attempts to talk to her. There are two core issues blocking Allison that she needs to get past. One is fear—she’s had to rely on herself for so long that the idea of laying everything down and trusting Jesus to guide her life is frightening to her. The other is shame and guilt—she knows she’s made a lot of past mistakes and somewhat wonders if she struggles so much because of them, like God may be mad at her for what’s she’s done. Amy shows her in a very friendly but Biblical way how to get past her fears and misconceptions.
Crisis Situation
The station is in financial trouble, and Allison’s job is her family’s only source of income. The stress of trying to keep the station afloat compounds on her and causes her to lose focus on everything. All of the plates she’s been spinning start to fall at once—she forgets about the after-school care shutting down early for Christmas, and her mom and dad have to pick them up, etc. She is so wrapped up in fear and worry, and she wants real peace in her life. This is what draws her to Amy’s calm stability and gets her curious about how Amy’s faith in Jesus has gotten her through what she sees as a much worse challenge.
Resolution/How Character Changes
What Allison learns over the course of this story is that she has let life’s circumstances stand in her way of having a relationship with God and that Jesus is her solution and a source of strength to being able to withstand the storms in her life. By the end of the story, she accepts Jesus and is willing to do what’s required for her to grow as a Christian.
No comments:
Post a Comment