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       Claudine and Herbert Jones realized that many children throughout the world are in need of loving parents.  While considering adoption, they discussed some of their concerns with the pastor.  Soon afterwards, he introduced them to young Estelle, a member of the congregation who was expecting twins.  

     Estelle was overjoyed to have found such a fine couple to adopt her twins.  After giving birth, however, she decided to part with only one child.  At first, the Jones' were disillusioned with the news, but the moment they saw the precious newborn their hearts were filled with gratitude, and they named their new daughter Estelle Jean after her biological mother. 

     Mr. and Mrs. Jones wanted very much for their daughter to  be content, and because Essie Jean cried whenever they laid her down, she spent most of the day in her mother's arms.  So, Claudine abandoned her household chores and hired a housekeeper. 

     During the early months of her life, the little one listened very attentively as her parents spoke.  Then, when she began to talk, she mimicked them. Claudine and Herbert were profoundly amused with little Essie’s  first words because they were totally profane.

     Whenever friends dropped by, the couple would urge their daughter to demonstrate her newly-acquired "skill."  If anyone suggested  that it was inappropriate for Essie to use  such strong language, Herbert and Claudine would attempt to justify the matter. So, although astounded, guests became reluctant to express their views regarding child rearing. A few years later, Mr. and Mrs. Jones adopted a second child, Molly, and raised her in the same careless manner.

     On Essie Jean’s third birthday, most of the neighborhood children attended her party in the park.  As toddlers headed for the swings, Mrs. Jones watched inconsiderately as Essie Jean shoved a smaller child.  As the boy stumbled and fell to the ground, Mrs. Jones beamed within.  The aggression, she thought, was evidence of her daughter’s strong determination to succeed in life.  To Herbert she whispered, “Essie Jean’s quite a force to reckon with!”  No one else, however, was impressed.

     Essie Jean's aggressive behavior presented many challenges in her preschool classroom.   In the center of the room, there  was an aquarium containing tropical fish.  The children were delighted each day as they watched the beautiful creatures scurrying along.  Then, as flakes of food were sprinkled onto the surface of the water, everyone would cheer as the fish competed for their meal.  This event continued until the day Essie Jean became tired of their daily routine; then, as the flakes tumbled onto the water, Essie Jean picked up a large toy truck and with a forceful blow struck the glass.  The aquarium cracked, and a fish rescue mission was immediately launched as streams of water spurted from the tank.

     When Mr. and Mrs. Jones received the news of what Essie Jean had done, they denied that she had been at fault.  Instead, they insisted   that the teacher should have watched the children instead of watching the fish.  Shortly after this incident, Essie Jean was expelled from preschool and remained home until her kindergarten days began.

     Molly knew better than to touch her sister’s toys. Essie Jean, on the other hand, often seized Molly’s belongings and claimed them as her own. Because their parents would not intervene, Molly soon learned to surrender rather than face her sister's wrath.  The same held true in kindergarten.  Essie's classmates feared what she might do if they failed to meet her requests; they had already seen her violent temper and knew better than to oppose her.  When the teacher brought this situation to the attention of Mr. & Mrs. Jones, they considered the report an exaggeration of the truth.

     Throughout the years, Mr. and Mrs. Jones continued to deny Essie's  inapproprate behavior.  And, as a result, it intensified.  While in junior high, adolescent Essie  was suspended because she instigated a brawl between two of her classmates.  When the disagreement was settled, one of the girls became Essie Jean’s closest friend; Her name was Mattie.

     It was Friday night, and Essie Jean was now certain that the neighbors to the north were not on their deck taking in the evening breeze.   Since Teddy, the family dog, was stretched out on the sofa alongside Molly, Essie Jean was certain that it would not alert anyone of her departure.  So, she opened her bedroom window, hoisted herself up onto the window sill and jumped.  

     After retrieving her jacket from the grass and smoothing the wrinkles from her skirt, Essie Jean dashed toward the fence.  Finally, she opened the gate and took a quick glance behind her.  Now, she was free for the night.      As Essie Jean rounded the corner, she saw her friend, Mattie, waiting.  Their fake I.D.’s were flawless, and the girls were all set to go clubbing.

     The dim lights throughout the room created the perfect ambiance for a romantic evening; they also made it difficult to find a table that was unoccupied.  Couples on the dance floor had placed items on chairs and tables to hold their seats, and just as the girls were about to sit at the bar, a  man caught their attention. He wanted Essie Jean and Mattie to join him at a large table that he shared with several others. Benny was his name, and he seemed especially interested in Essie Jean.  

     When Essie Jean returned home, the window was slightly open, just as she had left it.  The step ladder beneath her window gave her the elevation necessary to climb back into her room.  Later on, she would return the ladder to its proper place in the garage; but for now it would have to stay put because she needed to get some sleep after such a memorable evening with Benny.

     It was Saturday morning, and the girls were awakened by their dad.  He had made plans for the day.  The family would go out for breakfast and then ride their bikes to the lake.  Molly loved family outings. Essie Jean, however, was not the least motivated to join them.   Mattie and Essie Jean had their own plans. Today, they would meet Benny, the man from last night, at the library.  Then, the three of them would go for a drive. Strange enough, after exchanging phone numbers, Benny told the girls not to phone him.  Essie Jean wondered why he would make such a request since he undoubtedly adored her. Text messages, the girls were told, would be fine.  So, Mattie sent Benny a text  reminding him of today’s plans.

     The Jones family parked their bikes under the trees and sat on a bench to rest.  But when the vendors arrived with refreshments, Mrs. Jones was reminded that they needed to get home and have lunch. 

     Mattie and Essie  brought their book bags along as though working on a school project.  Benny was browsing through the stack of books before him on the table.  Essie Jean wondered what type books they were,  so she shifted his pile a bit to see the titles.  How amazed she was to find that someone as exciting as Benny could read such boring books!  It made no sense to her that he enjoyed history.

     Benny and the girls left the library and headed for the parking lot.  Now, there was a problem.  All four of Benny's tires were flat.  And very surprisingly, he knew who was to blame.  He looked around the lot for witnesses but found none.  When Mattie suggested phoning the police, Benny strongly opposed.  Then, he implied that the girls needed to run along home.

     On their way home, Mattie and Essie wondered how someone could be so unkind to such a sweet person as Benny.  Then, they concluded that this incident must have been a random act. 

     Essie Jean arrived home just in time for lunch on the deck.  Their mealtime conversation focused on a trip to the mall. Dad was thinking of getting a sports jacket, and Mom wanted a pair of shoes to complete an evening outfit. 

     For years, Joe Parker had been a regular at the club.  Although he had not talked to either Essie Jean or Mattie last night, his eyes were constantly on them.   

     Mrs. Jones could not understand how some women were able to walk in such uncomfortable shoes.  Recalling the years when she was up for the task, a great deal of her spendings had gone toward corn and bunion pads.  And today, she was willing to give the shoes another try.  Possibly, they were no longer painful like back in the day. After all, there was still ample time to try on other shoes.

     Through the window, Essie Jean saw her mother sporting a pair of shoes that she knew Claudine clearly detested.  Essie now wondered what was going on.  As she entered the store to approach her mother, a woman stopped her.

     “So what did you think of the band?"

      She asked.

     “It was really great!” replied         

      Essie Jean.

      As Mrs. Jones came near, Essie Jean knew that she needed to change the subject.  Her mother, however, was overly curious.

      “Is this your friend, Essie Jean?”      

       Her mother inquired.

      “We just met last night,” the woman  

       replied.  "I'm Janie!"

      “Last night?”  asked  a confused      

       Mrs. Jones.

      “Yes, at the club.” Janie replied.

     Janie was unaware that Essie Jean was uncomfortable with this conversation.  And, as Janie and Claudine continued talking, Essie  wandered out of the store.  Molly was just leaving the food court when her sister arrived.  They would now check on their dad.

     Herbert Jones had tried on every jacket on the rack by the time his daughters found him. As he was about to leave, the owner of the store approached him. Essie Jean recognized Joe from last night and was concerned that he might be inclined to strike up a conversation with her.  So she decided to wait outside the store.     

     On the way home, Essie Jean was relieved that Claudine had not brought up her conversation with Janie.  But regardless of what Janie may have said, Essie Jean was certain that Claudine had not believed Janie.

     Mattie phoned to tell Essie Jean that Benny wanted to get together with them.  He would pick them up Monday morning from the bus stop.  Essie Jean now felt much older and could hardly wait until Monday.

     Benny wanted the girls to meet his sister and her husband. At the club, he had mentioned them.   The girls were thrilled that Benny had taken such a great interest in them.

     Benny’s sister had gone to a great deal of trouble to entertain her young guests.  She was indeed a terrific hostess!  She was now preparing lunch, and the sweet aroma coming from the kitchen made everyone very eager to partake of the meal.  As soft music played in the background, the doorbell rang.  It was Benny’s wife.

     Days later, there was a call from Benny.  After abandoning the girls  the other day, he wanted to make things right.  He would meet them at the bus stop in the morning.  This time, they would go to Benny’s house.  His wife would be gone all day because she had to work.  The notion of being the main woman in Benny’s house made Essie Jean feel very mature; she quickly accepted his invitation. 

     After skipping breakfast, Mattie immediately raided Benny’s refrigerator while Essie Jean rummaged through closets and drawers.  Elated, Essie began modeling some of her findings.  Both Benny and Mattie were very much entertained by her enthusiasm.  But, the fun ended abruptly when the garage door opened.  Within seconds, a car had pulled in, and someone was entering the house.  Sheila had come home for lunch.

     Essie Jean wanted more than anything to get even with Benny's wife, Sheila, for coming between her and Benny. Not only was Sheila now monopolizing Benny's time, but she was monitoring his every move as well.  With Sheila out of the way, thought Essie Jean, I would have Benny all to myself!  

     Molly heard her sister talking to Mattie on the phone, and the conversation was frightening!  Mattie warned Essie Jean not to carry out her plans; then, their friendship ended.

     The following day, Molly talked to the school counselor about Essie Jean’s phone conversation with Mattie.  “I’ll see what I can do,” he replied.  When Molly left the office, the counselor sent for Essie.  He asked Essie Jean if everything was alright; unsure what he was up to, she decided not to trust him.  So, she said, “Yes!” Then, she was told to return to class. 

     Essie Jean felt all alone and needed someone to talk to.  Then, she thought about her identical twin.  Although they were separated at birth, they were aware of each other's existence.  Essie Jean thought that her twin would possibly see things her way and assist her in attacking Sheila.     

     Everyone except Essie Jean was in bed.    From the front window, she saw the car pull up; then Julie got out, gently closed the door, and headed toward the back of the house.  Essie Jean rushed to her room and quickly opened the window.   Julie then climbed from the stepladder into Essie Jean’s room.  The night visitor had arrived.

     Meeting face-to-face was like seeing one’s reflection in the mirror!   The two girls embraced; then just as Essie Jean was about to tell Julie about Benny and how she planned to deal with the situation, Julie said “Let’s pray!”  Essie Jean was caught off guard.

     Julie told her sister that she had been born again.  This confused Essie Jean, so she asked how such a thing could have possibly happened.  Julie then told her about another night visitor, Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, who had asked Jesus the very same question. 

John 3:1-21 (NIV) tells us that this distinguished man came to see Jesus at night because during the Passover he had seen the miracles Jesus performed and  knew that God had sent Him. When he asked Jesus how a man can be born again, Jesus explained to him the details of His plan of salvation.

     Then, Julie took a small Bible from her bag and read John 3:1-21 as her sister listened.  By the time Julie reached the last verse, Essie Jean had already decided that she wanted to be born again. 

    Julie  asked Essie Jean if she would like to come to her home and meet their biological mother.  Thrilled with the turn of events, Essie Jean responded with an emphatic, “YES!” 

    With Essie Jean, the old has gone and the new has come.  She is a new creation in Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."  2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV).   

     Written by Gloria Ayot-Cross, Ph.D., April 2008

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Copyright© 2008 Gloria Ayot-Cross.  All rights reserved.