“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9
I often find God’s timing does not match up with my own. I find that to be very true in my desire for the kids we work with to change the way they’re living and turn towards Jesus. I want these kids to understand God‘s ways NOW!
Lucas spent a lot of his teen years locked up. He was lacking positive parental influence, causing him to go down a dark road, letting his drug abuse and anger get the best of him. I spent many hours talking with Lucas but didn’t know how to console him. I prayed God would take over and just heal him instantly. As in most cases, it didn’t happen in one miraculous moment. Instead, it was more of a movement of God’s grace throughout a kid’s life; His perfect orchestration rather than me trying to manipulate them into God’s ways.
He was recently helping me with some kitchen remodeling at my sister’s house, and he asked if we could listen to some Christian hip hop music like we did when he was locked up. The lyrics instantly brought up deep conversations about belief in God and who Jesus is. Lucas said he knows he needs Jesus and that he’s broken, but he’s not quite ready to let God completely take over. He wants to keep meeting and learning, so I’m just letting it play out as I pray for him.
I often think I know the moment when God is going to grab ahold of a kid’s life and radically change it, but it really comes down to continuing to trust that God is working in their lives, especially when the seed of faith has been planted. Please join me in praying for Lucas and the other kids we have the opportunity to serve through Juvenile Justice Ministries.
Joe Wright, Juvenile Justice Ministries Director
*Names in this story have been changed to respect the privacy of those we serve.