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b'I. slam a fresh block of wood on the carving table and glare back at the house, even though I know my family won\\u2019t see my expression.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153James, brother of Jesus,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d I scoff aloud and bring my knife down in a deep slash over the edge of the block. \\u201cJesus, the perfect child. It doesn\\u2019t matter what I do\\u2014Jesus has always done something better.\\u201d I blow sawdust off of the wood and inspect the gouges. Frustration has made my hands clumsy, and I\\u2019ll have to start over.\\nSandals scuff in the doorway, and I turn. Jesus has walked into the room.\\nI bite back a sneer. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Can I help you?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nJesus approaches the table and peers down at my work. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153That\\u2019s very good.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153No, it\\u2019s not,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d I protest, then point out everything that\\u2019s gone wrong. Jesus listens, but with a pained expression. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153What?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d I ask, exasperated.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153James, your worth is not based in perfection,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Jesus says. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153That\\u2019s God\\u2019s job.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\nI hesitate. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I\\u2019m jealous of you,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d I mumble, looking at my feet. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I say things I don\\u2019t mean.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nJesus touches my shoulder. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You are secure in the Father\\u2019s love for you. You don\\u2019t understand completely now. But, one day, you will.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d He taps a finger on the mangled block. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Keep working on this one.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nMy brother walks back to the house. I stand there for a few seconds, clutching my file, speechless. Then I turn back to my work. \\u2022 Rebecca Roskamp\\n\\u2022 James was the brother of Jesus. Since Jesus was fully human and fully God, James may have felt pressured by his friends and even his family because of his close relation to Jesus. Try to identify any pressures you feel from your own family. \\n\\u2022 Jealousy is often at the root of other sins. What are some rash actions or judgments you have made out of jealousy? When we are jealous, how can resting in God\\u2019s love for us through Christ help? \\nFor you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God\\u2019s gift\\u2014not from works, so that no onecan boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 (CSB)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nIsaiah 61:8; Romans 2:1-11'