New Hope

In my work at a mental health center I have built relationships with people in the community who seem to have lost all hope. They live in the margins of society, struggling through poverty and despair. Their families are broken and divided by divorce and torn relationships. Children write letters to their parents in jail. Teens are forced to become adults because their mothers are too drunk to care. Fear, anxiety, and depression grips their lives. Chaos is the only lifestyle they know.

Yet, in the midst of this darkness, I see clearly the light of God. Let me share a few of these stories:

A few months ago I was visiting with one of my clients, a 15 year-old girl. Her mother is an alcoholic who is unable to maintain a job, and her relationship with her father is nearly non-existent. This girl and her mother eek a living from monthly child-support and welfare checks. One day as I as visiting with this girl, I listened as she vented her frustration and anger towards her mother, her father, her older brother, her grandmother, and even her friends. Her life has been filled with so much disappointment and broken promises. She has never had a relationship in which she felt fully loved and accepted. In fact, she firmly believes that she, herself, is a disappointment to everyone she knows because they do not love her, and that she can depend on no one but herself. As I listened to her story and her pain, I began telling her about Jesus and how much He loves her. Tears sprang to her eyes and for one instant I glimpsed the possibility of hope. But, nearly as quickly, the doubts took over. "How do I know?" She could not trust that Someone would truly love her and accept her just as she is.

I have not returned to this conversation since then, but I know that hope is blooming. We talk often of her dream to go to college and become a writer. You see, even though she has grown up in a home of pain and brokenness, God is creating her to be a beautiful young woman. I am sure that He will use her for a special purpose some day.

Another of my clients is a 13 year-old girl. She just recently moved into a new apartment with her mother and younger sister after living for several months in a homeless shelter. Previously the family had been living with her step-father and younger step-brother until her mother and step-father separated. She visits with her biological father often, but has never had a relationship with a steadfast, positive, father-figure. She constantly battles depression and low self-esteem. She attempts to gain attention and acceptance from males through very inappropriate dress and behavior, and unfortunately she has learned this from her mother. Yet, the family has now turned to the church to find the meaning for their lives that they've been seeking.

One more of my clients is an 12 year-old boy who lives with his mother and two half-brothers. This boy and his 15 year-old brother have been court-ordered to attend therapy after they broke into a local convenience store several months ago. He aces all his classes at school but has been placed in a constricted classroom because he can't sit still for more than 10 minutes and refuses to accept any authority. During the summer he stays at home by himself while his mother and older brother work. In the evenings he either helps care for his 2 year-old brother or runs freely around the neighborhood while his mother drinks until she can't stand up. His visits with his father are normally spent frequenting the local bars. And he thinks this is normal. But last week this boy was able to go to a week-long camp hosted by a church. When he returned he could barely contain his excitement to tell his therapist and I of everything he did, even singing some of the hymns he learned.

These are just three of many, many stories of lives shattered by pain. And yet there is hope. There is new life blooming in the midst of the brokenness. There is light shining through the darkness. That light is the unfailing love of God reaching out to bring his children home. It is my dream to one day build a sanctuary for these people. A place where their physical and emotional needs are readily met. A place where they can come and find hope and healing. A place where they will be loved and valued. But most of all, a place where they will find Jesus.