Ten years ago, I was a youth director
at a small inner city church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I loved the people at that church, and I
loved those kids. I was totally changed
by my experience there. However, I have
to say that I am haunted by my time there as well. I remember one girl who used to be a regular
at our church events. She was incredibly
intelligent, but she also faced a very difficult reality. One night she showed up to church early. She had just been beaten up by other kids,
and she was dealing with a terrible family situation. She felt the only place she could go was the
church. She was furious at the people
who beat her up, she was mad at her own family, and I think she was also
feeling embarrassed and alone. I tried
to offer her a of sign of hope. I tried
to tell her that love does exist in the world, and in that moment, I thought we
had a break through… However a few days later, I wasn’t so sure. She was right back to her world of rejection
and anger.
Leaving my job at that church was one
of the hardest things I ever had to do.
I felt like those kids had so much potential, and it hadn’t been
realized yet. The girl who I mentioned
earlier was one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. She took to calculus and other difficult
concepts incredibly fast. However, she
was surrounded by other voices calling her to give up on school and live for
things like sex, drugs, and power.
Seeing people like her fall into a terrible spiral of destruction wrecked
me. It broke my heart when I felt like
there was nothing I could do to save them.
Unfortunately, I have a lot of stories like that. There are so many kids from that church, as
well as other people I’ve met over the years, who don’t believe they have any
other calling other than the hurt and the pain that’s in front of them.
I do hope that somewhere along the way
small gestures of love can make an impact on the world. I believe every person in this world has a
calling that can make this world a better place. This week, our scripture passage will share
the story of a woman living in terrible circumstances who listened to a voice
of grace. It is my prayer that we could all believe that we are all chosen and
loved. You are important to this world,
and you will never be unworthy of love!
Blessings!
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