Just Say Yes

Tom Riley calls veterinarian Traci Mulligan to examine a calf that a cougar has attacked on his farm. Traci’s blind daughter, Lisa, calmly retrieves supplies and helps soothe the frightened animal, refusing Tom’s well-meant attempt to do everything for her. The calf is not seriously hurt, but the cougar’s presence leaves everyone wary.

The Mulligans have recently begun rethinking their lives. After Mike’s father died of lung cancer, they remembered his regret that he had not done more for others. Mike, Traci, and Lisa promised that when they clearly understood God’s will, they would try to say yes even when obedience demanded sacrifice.

Their first major test is Nick, a troubled relative from New York who has come to live with them. Lisa imagines a sophisticated, charming older cousin. Instead, Nick greets her with rude remarks about her blindness, calls her “Baby Cakes,” and boasts that he understands her disability because he once wore a blindfold for a school assignment. Lisa instantly decides that he is unbearable.

Mike reminds Lisa that the family did not invite Nick because they expected him to be perfect. They prayed before opening their home and knew that caring for him would require patience. He asks Lisa to look beyond Nick’s behavior with the compassion she normally shows so clearly.

The next morning brings arguments over the bathroom, the front seat, and Nick’s habit of smoking. Mike orders him to stop, explaining that the family is still grieving a death from lung cancer. Nick dismisses the connection between smoking and disease and trades insults with Lisa all the way to school.

At lunch, Lisa’s friends mock the unfamiliar new student’s hair and clothes before learning he is her cousin. Nick then humiliates Lisa by claiming that he is auctioning her as a date to the highest bidder for the junior-high dance. Her friends leave in disgust, and Lisa returns home more certain than ever that bringing him into the family was a mistake.

Traci acknowledges how difficult Nick is but reminds Lisa that hardship does not prove they have misunderstood God. Giving their lives to him and to other people can be costly. She believes that the more completely they give, the more they will experience the life God wants for them.

The smoke alarm interrupts their conversation. Nick has locked himself in the den and filled it with cigarette smoke. Mike, frustrated and frightened, sharply orders him to his room and warns that he must obey the family’s rules if he wants to belong. Later, Mike admits that his anger was poorly handled. When Lisa goes to call Nick for supper, she discovers that he has disappeared.

Mike and Traci search the roads, believing Nick may be trying to hitchhike away. Left at home, Lisa prays that God will bring him back and help her love him. Then she hears the cougar and discovers Nick trapped outside against the barn. Although Nick wants to run, Lisa orders him to raise his arms and appear larger while she approaches from another direction. Together they shout until the cougar retreats.

The danger leaves Lisa faint, and Nick helps her indoors. He finally thanks her for saving him. Lisa admits that she has been hard on him and may be spoiled from never having shared her home with someone else. Nick admits that he has behaved like an idiot, and the cousins agree to begin again. After firmly retiring the nickname he gave her, Lisa tells him, “Welcome to the family.”

Mike and Nick apologize to each other, and the Mulligans begin to feel that their difficult yes to God may be forming them into a stronger family. Just as Mike looks forward to some peace, Dr. Olin calls from the closing Connellsville Zoo. Several animals still need somewhere to go and may be put to sleep if no home is found. Traci promises only that the family will pray, while Mike uneasily wonders what God’s answer will be.