Monday, December 13, 2010

Seeing More Clearly Than Ever Before...

To the girls in this fallen world.
To the 6th graders just starting to hear the lies.
To the 16 year old who hates herself.
To the recently heart broken high schooler.

Oh how I wish I had each of your attention, right now. How I wish I could cup your face, look you in the eye and tell you the truth, and that you would get it.

I had a patient this weekend that broke my heart. I have had patients that make me sad for a shift, for an evening. But not this girl. It's been two days. I'm still broken, still crying.

See, this girl, brought me back to the core of why I 'do' ministry.

I'm pretty sure this girl had no hope.
No idea that she no idea that was loved.
I can make a pretty strong guess that she wasn't a fan of herself. That she felt alone. That she felt misunderstood.

As she was wheeled into the room, I forgot everything that had to do with nursing. I was all but paralyzed. I wasn't thinking about the cardiac monitor, about medications, about lab work. I couldn't. Everyone was bustling around me, doing their job. I just kinda moved against the wall and stayed there.

All I could think about was that this girl had no idea that she was adored by the God of the universe.

And then it was like a slide show played in my mind's eye:
The Adored Conference.
My to-do list for the weekend.
The Adored Icon.
Britt Nicole's face.
The Adored decorations.
My budget for the conference
My bright pink folder to keep me organized.
The registration forms.
The pretty black and pink Christmas boxes to give away Adored.
My contract with the radio station.
The outline to my talks.
The flower pens we spend hours making for the girls.
The centerpieces.
The waxing supplies for manicures.

And then it's like God gave me the clearest vision of why I'm doing Adored. Why I lead 7th grade girls on Sunday mornings. And 8th graders on Wednesday night.

We need to know that we are loved.
Adored.
Treasured.
Made for a purpose.

But not in a 'give you butterflies', 'feel good for a week' way. But in a LIFE SHAKING way.

Girls, ladies, friends, from my 5 year old neighbor to my grandma, please know that the God of the universe made you, and loves you. He has a purpose for you. He understands you. He knows your pain. You can have victory in this world.

I can't imagine feeling more passionate about anything. I can't imagine longing for anything more than what I am right now. That the teenage girls of this generation will come to know the God that I serve, and come to know themselves in the process.

"The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love, I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." Jeremiah 31:3


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