Roots

Imagine having made a terrible decision.
   Most of us have at least one that comes quickly to mind.
Now imagine having to live with the consequences that go with it.
   Some of us may have skirted past this part unscathed.
Finally, imagine having to face all that alone.
   There are people, in this world, who feel abandoned in their biggest time of need.
These are the people who capture my attention and tug on my heart.

In my new hometown, there are some young women who fall into this category. They have found themselves pregnant and homeless. The decisions or circumstances leading up to their unique situations are now behind them. They are dealing with all kinds of fears and worries and have no idea of the monumental task ahead of them. Yet, they move forward in hopes of seeing a light at the end of their tunnel.

I have the opportunity to minister in a home for these girls. I want to be able to look closely at these girls and their situations. I will be watching the tell-tale signs these young women wear on their sleeves... Do they appear tough or scared?  Are they dressing in a fashion to gain acceptance?  Do they display trust issues with their attitudes? There are so many factors the world has and will continue to judged them by. I will not be looking for more fuel to throw on their fires, I'm looking for roots. If I can follow the action they display, back far enough, I just might find a root. A place where everything began, where everything connects. The very spot that explains the fruit bursting out all over.  To tell these girls to "Stop doing that" or "Quit acting like that" does little to help them in the long run. Following directions may temporarily look like a cure, but it would be like pruning back poison oak in hopes that it will just eventually just shrivel up and disappear. To get rid of a crippling behavior, you must eradicate the source. This can only be done through trust, free will and love. There's where the story, I want them to hear, begins.

If I choose to join with them in their journey, my mission will be to introduce these girls to the One who is a good father, a comforting mother and gentle friend.  They may have no grid in their past for any of these kinds of scenarios, but I do.  I can share what I know, through the Bible and my own personal experience, and introduce them to someone who will never leave or condemn them.  They will have an opportunity to develop their own relationship with God rather than have to live "grandfathered in" through someone else's interpretation of Him.  They will learn that when God "judges", it is something He does out of love and is directed toward "sin", not toward them.  Just as a doctor judges cancer and works quickly to kill "it", not his patient. They will learn that their sin is no worse than that of Adam's and that God judged it once and for ALL in the form of Jesus on the cross. They will learn that Holy Spirit is here so that we can have Him in us just as we are in Him. They will learn that they can have not only a ticket to heaven, but that it can begin right here on Earth. They can learn to do all Jesus did... now. They will  now have someone who loves them and someone they can trust... forever!

     Only then will it be safe enough to go after roots.