I Shot The Monkey
Continuing Conversations With A Boy
Part of a telephone call from Toronto:
"Hello?”
"Kennedy?”
"Yes . . .?”
"It’s me.”
"Hey, how are you?”
"I was thinking . . .”
"Yes, about what?”
"About you . . .”
"Oh.”
"And about Easter.”
"Yes, it’s Easter. Did you go on an Easter egg hunt?”
"No. I went to church.”
"Oh. That’s good.”
"Yeah, I guess. Do you go to church?”
"No. Not any more.”
"Why?”
"I lost my faith in church somewhere along the way.”
"And you never got it back?”
"No.”
"You don't believe in God?”
"I believe we all have a purpose in life. That’s sort of the same.”
"But ... you gave up on your purpose.”
"Shooting the monkey?”
"Yes.”
"I did what I could do. I found another purpose.”
"I know. Now the monkey runs loose. They say it’s looking for you.”
"If it is looking, it will find me.”
"And if it does, what will you do?”
"You know the answer to that.”
"You will shoot it, won’t you?”
"Yes.”
"Then you will tell me that you had no choice.”
"Yes.”
"Do you think Jesus would have shot the monkey?”
"No, he would not have.”
"Would he have been afraid?”
"No, He would have been strong in His faith that the monkey could not hurt His spirit no matter what it did to Him otherwise.”
"Then why can't you be like Jesus and not shoot the monkey?”
"Not everyone’s faith is that strong. I have seen the monkey crush people’s lives.”
"Could it crush mine?”
"No.”
"Why? Because I believe in God and Jesus?”
"No, because I would shoot it first.”
Continuing Conversations With A Boy
Part of a telephone call from Toronto:
"Hello?”
"Kennedy?”
"Yes . . .?”
"It’s me.”
"Hey, how are you?”
"I was thinking . . .”
"Yes, about what?”
"About you . . .”
"Oh.”
"And about Easter.”
"Yes, it’s Easter. Did you go on an Easter egg hunt?”
"No. I went to church.”
"Oh. That’s good.”
"Yeah, I guess. Do you go to church?”
"No. Not any more.”
"Why?”
"I lost my faith in church somewhere along the way.”
"And you never got it back?”
"No.”
"You don't believe in God?”
"I believe we all have a purpose in life. That’s sort of the same.”
"But ... you gave up on your purpose.”
"Shooting the monkey?”
"Yes.”
"I did what I could do. I found another purpose.”
"I know. Now the monkey runs loose. They say it’s looking for you.”
"If it is looking, it will find me.”
"And if it does, what will you do?”
"You know the answer to that.”
"You will shoot it, won’t you?”
"Yes.”
"Then you will tell me that you had no choice.”
"Yes.”
"Do you think Jesus would have shot the monkey?”
"No, he would not have.”
"Would he have been afraid?”
"No, He would have been strong in His faith that the monkey could not hurt His spirit no matter what it did to Him otherwise.”
"Then why can't you be like Jesus and not shoot the monkey?”
"Not everyone’s faith is that strong. I have seen the monkey crush people’s lives.”
"Could it crush mine?”
"No.”
"Why? Because I believe in God and Jesus?”
"No, because I would shoot it first.”
