FaithWriters.org Layla and Violet were lying on their backs in the grass near the beach. The puffy white clouds were slowly drifting past them, and they were identifying fantastical animals and objects in them as they morphed from one shape to the other. This was a natural place near the beach where conglomerates had not yet encroached upon the lay of the land. Many times, the teenagers brought a picnic lunch here in the summer and whiled away the hours talking about the future.
“People use the phrase ‘slippery slope’ a lot. I wonder why that is,” Layla mused.
“Where did THAT come from?” Violet asked with a bit of surprise in her tone as she raised up on one elbow and faced Layla.
“I don’t know, actually,” Layla answered. “I’ve just heard people use it a lot, and I wonder why that’s a thing.”
Violet returned to her reclining position and thought for a few seconds. “I guess they’re trying to get across the fact that some situations are tough to handle, and you can get in real trouble and lose control, you know, lose your footing, if you’re not careful. You know, like, slip and fall.”
“I guess.” Layla was pensive. “I understand what it means. I guess I just wonder why people are choosing to use that phrase so much.
“Well, what would you rather they say?” Violet asked. “I don’t know. Maybe “Tough situation. Don’t fall off the cliff!” Both girls laughed and Layla admitted, “I guess maybe they should just stick with ‘slippery slope.’ It’s shorter.”
“That one looks like a church with a steeple,” Violet said as she pointed to a particularly large oddly shaped cloud.
“Yeah, sorta looks like our church,” Layla said. “I love our church,” she added.
“Me, too,” Violet agreed. “It’s where I found Jesus.” “A lot of people have found Jesus there,” Layla added. “That one looks like a piano,” she said, pointing to another cloud.
“But not the one at our church,” Violet added. They giggled.
Layla sat up and pulled a long stem from a patch of clover near her blanket. She wrapped the stem around the flower and popped the purple bud, watching it fly several feet away. Violet did the same as they continued talking.
“What are you going to do with your summer?” Violet asked as she pulled another long stem.
“You mean besides church camp next month?” “Yep.” “Well,” Layla began, “my family is going on vacation to the mountains after we get back from camp, and then I think I might go on that mission trip the pastor mentioned last week. What about you?”
“I was thinking about that mission trip, too. I’ve never been on one before. My parents think it might be good for me, and I do, too.” Violet nodded as she talked. “I want to broaden my horizons, and I want to make a difference in the lives of others. I want to introduce people to Jesus.”
“It seems like a good way to do that. I’m with you,” Layla agreed. “Although I’m not in it for the fun because it sounds like a lot of hard work, but it would be fun for us to do the trip together.”
“Like my New American Standard Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor,” Violet quoted from memory.
“There’s a verse for everything,” said Layla. “I’m starving. Let’s eat!” she said as she unpacked their lunch basket.