Broken and Hurting Does Not Equal Contagious

I walked into juvenile court. My heart heavy, yet full of hope. Young boys shackled together by chains around their wrist and ankles. All of them dressed in matching jumpsuits, their faces full of fear and hurt. The only differentiating trait was their hair color and cut. They reminded me of the lost boys in the movie Peter Pan. Drawn by the lights and carnival atmosphere, they have been sucked into the vortex of sin.  My heart broke into pieces.  Inside I was crying out to God to guard their young minds and hearts. Let them see Jesus. The one who will never leave them or forsake them. Let them experience the full love of Christ. Children being parented by the State of Texas. I could only imagine the trauma their undeveloped brains had witnessed. The adult lives they had been exposed to instead of protected from. 

The devil would like nothing better than to steal the hearts and minds of our impressionable children but God said “children are a gift from God; they are a reward from him.” Psalms 127:3. Are these children part of a generational curse? “Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sins of the parents to the 3rd and 4th generation.” Exodus 34:6. That stings. I know I have generational curses that have been passed down through my family. Sin may cause you little pain now but it could be detrimental in the lives of your children and grandchildren later. 

Only Christ can break the curse and bondage within my life, the lives of my children and grandchildren. The precious lives of those young boys. Your life. He tears down the strongholds in our life when we surrender to Him. He breaks the generational curses over your family. He died on the cross for our bondage. He died on the cross for our broken. He died on the cross knowing we would be a muddy mess. 

I look around the courtroom and grieve. I wonder how many people really know the hurt and pain of these families and children?  I also wonder how many know but look down their noses and don’t want to get their hands dirty. How many feel like it is someone else’s problem?  We live in our sterile world pretending we have a perfect life. We dabble in superficial relationships. Relationships that are just deep enough to feel good about ourselves but not deep enough to walk along beside them through their mess. Maybe we say, that is not my problem but the truth is as Christians, it is our problem. Christ says we are to serve the least of these. We are to care for the orphans.  How is it that children show up in court with no one who cares?

These kids in court are just a small picture of a bigger problem. I wonder how many of these kids and broken families have possibly crossed my path. Have they lived in my neighborhood? Showed up at my church? Did I spend five minutes waiting in the grocery store line with them pretending I was preoccupied so I didn’t have to engage?  How about you?  Did you miss a kind word? An opportunity to see the pain in someone else’s life and the opportunity to engage. To share hope. When are we going to start getting dirty and living life with people in the broken and dark places? Trust me. Broken and hurting does not equal contagious. There is great risk though. The risk of freedom from the dark and broken places that may be revealed in our own life. Maybe that’s it. Maybe we are scared our own short comings and fallen nature will fall out of the closet when we attempt to help someone else dig out of the dark into the light of Christ. 

By the grace of God, within this particular courtroom I could identify lawyers, a judge, prosecutors, directors of the juvenile system, court reporters, probation officers and so many others who love Jesus and sacrifice their time and talents to love these kids. They are not only a voice for their future but a voice of hope. The hope of Christ. As these men and women pour into these youth I wonder???

What if we could raise more Christians within the juvenile system that could share the love, hope and trust in a father who will never leave them or forsake them. What if we quit pretending to be preoccupied standing in the grocery line? What if we approached that mom trying to carry her dirty little boy out to her car with a gallon of milk and offered her a hand rather than look upon her with disgust and criticism of her care for her child. How about the man sweeping parking lot? Do you ever consider the lady or man that makes sure the gas station or airport bathroom is clean? So many opportunities, yet just like you, I become self absorbed living in my sterile word. 

Father God, thank you for the many gifts we have to offer others. Help us learn to live outside of our selfishness. Aware of those hurting around us. Help us be willing to make sacrifices in our own lives so we can be a voice for others. Help us show your unconditional love and grace. Amen.

Much love,

Chrissy