Gabriel was talking on the phone with his friend, Maximilian. His mildly disabled brother, Stephen overheard him gossiping & giggling to Max about him having "effeminate, swishy" mannerisms, which isn't true. Stephen is just very humble & modest. Quiet, reserved & shy. He doesn't bother anyone. He has a speech impediment & walks with a slight cripple, as well. Gabe & Max were saying that Stephen should've been named Stephanie, instead. By the fact that Stephen is a Christian who tries to (spiritually) walk in holiness & righteousness, they wrongfully perceive of him to act holier than thou, like he thinks he's better than everyone. But the truth is, Gabe & Max are jealous of Stephen, but they act like they think they're better.
Stephen took Gabe & Max's gossip to heart & talked to Pastor Donovan about it. Pastor Donovan gave him biblical counsel & also told him that maybe Gabe & Max are using projection. He told Stephen that the phone gossiping is the VERY SAME "effeminate" that they're trying to call him.
The following Sunday, Pastor Donovan preached a sermon, called "We All Have That ONE Family Member...", which addressed sibling abuse & sibling bullying from a biblical perspective. Many of the church members saw the topic on the website & on Facebook, Instagram, etc., ahead of time. They thought it was going to be a topic of juicy gossip, so they started spreading the word & bringing THEIR friends & family members.
During the sermon, Pastor Donovan was saying, "We All Have That ONE Family Member who's the family trouble maker. We All Have That ONE Family Member who leaves the toilet seat up. We All Have That ONE Family Member who likes to blast loud music. We All Have That ONE Family Member who can't even cook rice. We All Have That ONE Family Member who's a dork. We All Have That ONE Family Member who's trifling. We All Have That ONE Family Member who's messy & likes to gossip. We All Have That ONE Family Member who uses up too much bathroom cleaner. We All Have That ONE Family Member who doesn't like to take out the trash. We All Have That ONE Family Member who has toes like rusty nails. We All Have That ONE Family Member who has a big head. We All Have That ONE Family Member who's a serial cheater. We All Have That ONE Family Member with halitosis. We All Have That ONE Family Member who committed all the 7 deadly sins. We All Have That ONE Family Member who broke all 10 commandments. We All Have That ONE Family Member that acts like Jezebel. & he kept going on & on, while the congregation kept laughing hysterically.
The church sermon attendees were shocked to find out that, instead of Pastor Donovan talking about juicy gossip & being entertained, he was doing that hellfire & brimstone preaching. They were disappointed because he rebuked the idea of certain family members of their own households acting superior to other family members. They didn't expect to feel convicted in their consciences about how they treat their own family members. They didn't expect to feel like they have to repent & turn away from treating their own family members poorly. Pastor Donovan mentioned that this also goes for how people treat schoolmates, coworkers or anyone else they have to deal with in society. He quoted scriptures, like:
Matthew 22:39
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
King James Version (KJV)
Luke 12:53
“The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.”
King James Version (KJV)
Matthew 10:36
“And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.”
King James Version (KJV)
Micah 7:6
“For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.”
King James Version (KJV)
Once the church service was over, Sunday dinner was served for free. There was a shy homeless man sitting in the corner, nervously eating his food the same way someone would nervously bite fingernails. He was nonverbal autistic. Some of the church attendees said that even though the homeless man was suffering hardships, he was very lucky to not have to worry about family drama or any other kind of drama. They just assumed that since he's always seen alone. They consider that a blessing itself. He may be estranged from his family. He may be the scapegoat. He had the same sweet soul that Stephen had.
Gabe & Max looked at the homeless man, counted their blessings & then fell on their face with guilt & repented. Anyone could end up homeless. They both were wailing like as if a family member passed away. They both publicly apologized to Stephen for that phone conversation. That's EXACTLY what was eating at their consciences, even though Stephen nor Pastor Donovan told them anything. They apologized to Stephen profusely about that phone conversation & also apologized to the homeless man for talking bad about & laughing at him just before the church service started. They even took the homeless man in as another brother & took good care of both him & Stephen.
THE END
*This is my 1st fiction short story of the year 2025.