We went back to youth group last night. We could have taken the kids to church, and gone out for a nice quiet Valentines dinner, but something kept telling me I needed to go to church and try the youth service out again.
After a lot of singing and some awesome Christian rock music, a couple people got up and spoke about various things, and then it happened.
The THIRD sign.
The youth pastor’s wife (in her early 20s) got up and said she was going to tell a story that was very difficult for her, something she had never shared before in front of a group. She started out by reading this Scripture:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans
to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
She then went on to tell us about the difficult childhood she had. Her father left when she was a little girl, and she was devastated. She told of the night she got home from church, her father handed her some cookies, and told her he was leaving and wasn’t coming back. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. She went on to tell how she thought she was being such a “good Christian” while she was at church, yet when she was home– she was mean and disrespectful to her mother and her siblings. She wasn’t seeking God with her whole heart, so she wasn’t finding any answers to her problems.
She told of how when she met the man who is now her husband, she was embarrassed to bring him home to her family. She was ashamed that the man she was marrying– who was going to be a PASTOR – was going to meet her very un-Christian dysfunctional family. The part that really got to me the most was when she said how much it breaks her heart that there probably were several teenagers in the room last night that live in the same type of situation. Parents who are split up, siblings who are drug addicts, and no role model to follow. But without seeking Him with our whole heart, these kids were not going to find the way out. How true.
Towards the end of the service, the pastor stood up and asked all of us adults to step forward in front of the stage. Then he asked the kids if there was anyone in the room that was feeling like they are in a similar situation, and they need help to “seek God with their whole heart.” He said if they raised their hand, one of us adults would come talk to them, pray for them, and listen.
I was amazed at how many kids raised their hand. There were lots of people in the room crying, boys and girls. Shocking to see how many kids live such dysfunctional lives, and how many of them wanted help, wanted someone to listen to them, wanted a shoulder to cry on.
I saw a girl raise her hand last night. We’ll call her Annie. She couldn’t have been more than maybe 13 or 14, but she looked so sad. She looked defeated. I went over to her, introduced myself, and she just collapsed into my arms, sobbing. I started to just hold her, rubbing her shoulders, trying to give her soothing words, and saying any prayer-like words I could think of. Of course I immediately started crying, too. My heart just broke knowing that whatever it was she was going through, she felt bad enough to break down in tears in front of all her friends and everyone else in the room. And I felt like I was failing her because I am no good at praying out loud, and I literally froze up and couldn’t think of what to say. I am not familiar with the Bible all that much, besides knowing the basics, and I am not comfortable praying out loud, because I’m afraid I will sound stupid.
I never realized just what kids are going through at this age. Its been a long time since I was a teenager, and I had such a good family life. My parents are still married, and there was never any drug or alcohol issues, and never any abuse of any kind. If anything, I was rebellious because my life was “too” perfect.
I’ve seen enough signs now to realize that this might be something I need to get involved in. It’s a good opportunity for me to learn to be a better person right along with these kids, and also to learn more about the Bible just as these kids are doing.
