Just Thinking

OK, so I recently arrived at a location where a young person had left a piece of correspondance and some pictures up on a computer. What I saw in the pics confirmed suspicions that I had. Then the letter that had been left up chilled me even more.

I shut it all down and the first thing I did was pray for them. Not a long prayer, just a quick short prayer. I wondered if we as a "christian" community had failed them. I had had conversations with this person concerning their difficult home life. I had seen things that were done or said to this person. I wondered if we had failed to be sensitive enough to reach out or if this is just the way things are.

The emotional rollercoaster that was a letter disturbed me to no end. I really burdens me that we lose so many young people. It's so needless. We think when they begin the stages of rebellion that we can't do anything. I remember as a teenager, a conversation I had with my Pastor at that time concerning one of my closest friends. Her home life stunk and the one bright light in her life was a boyfriend. They were breaking all the rules, it made me mad (I'm a bit of a follow the rules kind of person) so I confronted her and she basically felt like no one cared. That is why I ended up standing at the front of my church confronting my Pastor over the fact no one was stepping in. He felt like there was nothing anyone could do. Today I believe it more than I did then. My friend was looking for someone to love her, truly love her unconditionally.

So I think to this young person that had so much potential. We lost another one and the lifestyle he is testing saddens me because I saw times when people could have responded a bit different and maybe stregthen him instead of tearing him down. I have been in situations with this person that almost pushed me to far. I wonder what those moments do to a teenager?

Just some thoughts... and maybe to remind people we can get up and sing in a perfect way, with a perfect look and with a perfect response, we can bring in the best Sunday School programs, we can look and act so perfect but if we lose our young people? There will be no church of tomorrow. I talked with a lady I look to as a mentor and I expressed this to her and she had to agree to a point. We put such a strong push on our kids and our adults but we are failing our teenagers.