Hope against the Pain

So many young lives hang in the balance. So many mask the truth of their pain with a tough exterior, a flippant remark, a quiet demeanor. The lie of being alone, of being unchangeable, unredeemable, floats in their minds and tugs at each of their thoughts. It is hard to watch them crumble, to watch them drift away. We invest so much, but there is always so much more to do. We care for them, we fight for them, we shower them with truth and love, and even still, we watch as the pieces of their lives fall and the darkness threatens to overwhelm. 

And I worry. I worry about them because I can see the hollowness in their eyes. I can hear the quiet desperation in their voices. And I know that their fragile lives hang so precariously on the edge. I know that one simple thing can make them throw it all away. One thought, one action, one decision. 

But in the midst of their pain the answer is so seemingly simple. I hear it in the wind and I feel it in the sun. It is the warmth in my eyes and the pressure in my heart. The answer lies in them coming to believe that they are truly valued in the eyes of God, that there is a way of life that will bring them to a fullness of life that they have never known before. 

And it is to this hope that we must cling. It is this hope that will push against their desire to jump into the false promises of death. It is this hope that will slowly strengthen the hearts and minds until they can stand against the winds of hopelessness and declare that they are truly worthy of life.