Crouching down I wanted to make eye contact. “I need to tell you a secret.” I got very close to this child’s ear. “Are you ready?” I asked with a twinkle in my eye. “Do you want to know?” The child was a little uncertain. “You are a leader. God has a special plan for you.” I stepped back and nodded knowingly. I stood up, and turned to walk away. Immediately, the light dawned on her face. The truth of what I had spoken began to sink in. Her face melted into a huge grin. She was glowing. Nodding slowly, she hesitantly agreed with me. Turning back I leaned in once more. “It’s true you are truly amazing.” Glowing, she returned to her activity.
As I have gone through this week I have had at least a dozen such conversations with children ranging in ages from 6 to 15. EVERY SINGLE TIME the reaction is the same. Every time a furrowed brow has relaxed. Every time the smile that over takes their faces is as the rising of the sun.
Why? It is simple. The truth sets you free. God has created each of us with a purpose and a plane, one filled with a hope and a future, not to harm us but to prosper us (Jer. 29:11). Transcending all barriers it is a truth that is offered to all. No matter where you come from or what you look like. God calls us leaders. He sees us as we really are. He knows us. He has always known. We can’t shake him or the reality that He is in pursuit of each of us. (Psalm 139) However, there are some of us who just don’t know.
Over and again this week, I have been able to share my secret with many who don’t know. They are not merely loved. They are cherished. Because they were created to be loved.
“A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.
A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash.
For the poor, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.” Proverbs 15:13-15
Poverty is not merely a state of economics. Sometimes it is a place. Sometimes we don’t know that there is a choice to be made. Sometimes it is an issue of the heart.
When this happens we can not change our own heart. We need a miracle. That can only come through Christ. We need life.
“Crushed,” creates the picture of someone or something that can’t be put back together or transformed. The spirit is sucked dry when the heart is broken. I would contend that every child, that I meet in the city, no matter their age is hungering for the truth at the depths of their being. They have come believe, however, that there is only trash. So this has become their supper. This is the reason why every day seems to fall apart at the seams. Yet, truth makes the heart glad. Over and again I have seen it. When the heart is full of truth, the love of Christ, the face shines. Our hands must extend with this hope to all around us.
That is what I offer as I walk the halls of Urban Youth Impact. Hope. Truth. Love. Life. Offered through the power of our Lord. There is transformation in His words spoken out. “You are special.” “You are smart.” “You are loved.” They may seem so trite. Yet, these statements are a cool welcomed rain, that softens once hardened hearts.. Once dull stares, carry a gleam in the eye. Seeds are being planted. I am thrilled to watch them grow.
