I have such a heart for teenagers. I know this is why my husband and I have been involved in Young Life for a decade. I often find myself wonderin' how my life may have turned out if I had known about Young Life when I was in high school. I want so much to help teens avoid some of the mistakes that I made when I was their age. Unfortunately, some (most) of them don't believe that I actually do understand some of what they're goin' through.
My son showed me a text the other day that he got from his best friend's girlfriend. It said that she had had sex with her boyfriend (the best friend) WITHOUT A RUBBER! My immediate gut reaction was to smack the best friend upside the head (he is like another child to me and my husband, so I don't know if this would constitute child abuse...:) My son begged me not to say anything to anyone because he doesn't want his friend mad at him. And I don't want my son mad at me but how do I not talk about this with my friends? I need help. I have asked the few people I have talked to to please pray for my wisdom. And now the girlfriend thinks she might be pregnant. She is in 8th grade and the boyfriend is in 9th! My heart is breaking.
I spend my life workin' with these kids: I am a Young Life leader, I work at the middle school, the high school, and the upper elementaries, yet I don't feel like I'm makin' a difference in any of their lives. I know they like me and think I'm cool, which is great, but I want them to know my love and to know Jesus' love for them and to know that they can have the most awesome life...that God and I both want to give them the very best. Some of my Young Life kids come from hard lives...from abuse to missing parents...and I want them to know that there are adults they can trust, who love them completely and unconditionally. But I don't know how to convince them of this. My daily prayer is simple: "Let me let You." Let me show Your love through my relationships with them, let them see You in me.
Please pray for me - that I can reach these kids and that I'll have the wisdom I need to convince them of Jesus' love for them.
Thanks for listenin'
We are asked to be Christ in the flesh for these kids. All we can do is walk beside them through their mistakes. Jessie Gac and I talked, prayed, and hoped one of our girls a few years ago would not choose to have an abortion. She did have it so we had to try our hardest to love her through her decision. Not an easy task.
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