Trust in That
Posted on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 by
By Preston Adams, Juvenile Justice Ministry Director
“Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it.” -Father Gregory Boyle
Today I met with a young man who I have been working with for the past couple of years. We share our initial hello’s, everything seems to be going well and then he opens up about the anxiety he has been experiencing,
“Bro, my sister is in a war zone at school. She is caught between the Surenos and the Crips, many who know me. Our dad isn’t there for her and her mom is incarcerated. She fights all the time because of her anger. She’s angry because we are poor and outside of me, she has no support. Then bro, my mom be stressing too. You know she struggles with her mental health, and with money. There’s always something going on with her. Then there’s me, I am still getting death threats from rival gang members…..we need to get out of this city bro. We are barely surviving…..”
In John 8, the Jewish leaders bring a woman to Jesus who is caught in adultery, hoping Jesus will give them the go-ahead to stone her to death, but instead, Jesus says, “’All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’” After no one throws a stone and everyone walks away, Jesus says to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
And so, just as Jesus did, we no longer stand in judgment or condemnation at what the poor have to carry, how they carry it, or the decisions they make because of their circumstances. Rather, we choose to stand in awe of their resiliency, perseverance and we tell them, as I told this young man today, “Bro, God is going to get you and your family through all of this. You will persevere and come out stronger because of it. Trust in that. And until you get through it, I will be with you every step of the way to help you in any way I can….”
Thank you for being a part of the ongoing conversation with youth in our city and helping us share God’s story. It's our honor to be the storytellers on your behalf who meet kids right where they are and give life to their story.
Providing young people in our community with the opportunity to make an informed decision to be a follower of Jesus Christ and become part of a local church.