Shield
Kris had grown up hearing about the armor of God. The belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit. But the piece of armor that had always stood out the most to Kris was the shield. Because it was the shield of faith.
Sure, the idea of having a sword was cool. A helmet of salvation was sensible. But the shield meant something deeper. You could protect yourself with a shield, or you could use it as cover for other people who needed it more.
When Kris first met Adam in Hollywood week, he was the last person Kris thought of when he considered people who might need a hand, or an extra person on their side. Allison, maybe. But not Adam. Adam was the most talented person in the competition, hands-down. Kris could have called it from day one.
But time in the mansion wasn't at all what Kris had expected. He found himself connecting more strongly to Adam and Allison than he did to Danny or Michael, who were Christian guys.
To Danny, the Bible was like the law. What it said went. To Michael, it was much the same. Both men had long conversations with Adam about religion and faith. After once or twice, and Danny still not being able to successfully win Adam over, he stopped trying, but Michael was more persistent.
Kris could lie awake for hours in the room he shared with Adam and hear his and Michael's voices carrying upstairs from the kitchen. Adam always listened to another person's point of view, but wasn't shy about contributing his own opinion to a discussion, and that's where they ran into trouble.
"So, it's the gay thing again," Adam was saying.
"No, it's not just the gay thing," Michael objected. "It's your attitude about it. The way you carry yourself. You could learn to humble yourself a little bit more, you know? That wouldn't be such a bad thing."
Adam leaned back in his chair. By now, he had heard it all, so Michael's suggestion wasn't shocking. He smirked. "So, because I date men, I'm arrogant."
"That's not what I'm saying. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Do you know how hard-headed you are?" Michael asked, smiling in spite of himself. Adam had that affect on people.
"I've heard it a few times," Adam nodded.
"I mean, I have no problem with you. I just don't agree with how you live," Michael clarified.
"If you have a problem with how I live, then you do have a problem with me," Adam pointed out calmly. "Look, it's late and we have a lot going on tomorrow. Let's just agree to disagree, and call it a night."
Adam extended his hand, and after a second, Michael shook it.
--
Michael was the first of the top ten to be eliminated, which meant that he made the tour. And Kris prayed from the minute he knew there was going to be a tour, that it would be civil and that everybody on the guys' bus in particular would get along well. This summer had the potential to be the best time of their lives, if they let it.
--
When the tour started in July, Michael stuck close to Danny. They had become like brothers. It was no secret that Michael had his guard up around Adam, for no other reason than the Bible said to protect yourself from non-believers.
But it wasn't long before Kris had enough of that logic.
"Michael, come on, dude. Don't be ridiculous," he challenged quietly, once they were back on the bus. "You helped Megan down the stairs the other night, okay? She's divorced. Now, according to the Bible, that's a sin. You still helped her. And you can't even do a thing to help Adam look for his jacket when he was looking for it? That's lame."
"It's not the same thing," Michael denied seriously. "The Bible says to use your faith as a shield. That's all I'm doing."
"But you don't need to protect yourself from Adam. He's never done a thing to hurt any of us. Besides I always thought of that verse as using your shield of faith to protect others who need it. Adam knows he's safe around me. He's got enough of our people who hate him for no good reason. It would do him a world of good to know that you had his back."
Not saying anything more, Kris crawled into his bunk, hoping that some of what he'd said had taken root.
--
The group of protesters was small, but Adam noticed them right away, camped outside the venue singing lame songs and holding up signs saying how much God hated people like him. Adam knew if he let everything everyone said about him get under his skin he'd probably die. So instead, he held his head up, and walked past them.
"Hey," Michael said softly, coming up between Adam and the crowd, fearlessly putting an arm around him. He figured Adam thought he was doing a pretty good job of hiding his anxiety, but Michael could see the tightness in his jaw, and the way his hands were clenched into fists.
"Don't worry," Michael assured. "If they mess with you, they mess with both of us."
Adam nodded slightly, respect and relief flickering in his eyes.
Behind them both, Kris sent up prayers. One of gratitude for changed hearts and one for the hearts that had yet to be changed.