Two weeks ago, I felt like I was supposed to do something for some of the young boys who push drugs on our street corners, at first what that something was, wasn’t exactly clear, and honestly I wanted to run from the idea, these boys know me, they respect me and they know my name isn’t that enough? Why Lord, do you need me to get involved in their lives? I thought to myself, why would I even ask that, of course He wants me involved in their lives, why WOULDN’T he should have been the question. I am not gonna lie, I was scared to death.
So I thought and prayed and prayed and was like Lord what? What is it you have planned for me and these boys, that’s when it was revealed I was having doughnuts with dealers. I got up early one morning, left for work at 7:15 instead of 8 and went and bought a couple of dozen doughnut and some milk, and off I went. I couldn’t help but wonder, what on earth would these boys think of me, would they laugh at me and not take the doughnuts, would they beat me up, because they thought I might be ridiculing them?
Boy, was I ever wrong about what might happen that morning, after they realized, that no, I am not 5-0 under cover, these boys were more welcoming than most people I know. They invited me to their stoops, where they devoured two dozen doughnuts and a gallon of milk in record time. They wanted to know why I would do this, and when I told them it was simply an act of love, they smiled, I didn’t want to turn them in, I didn’t want to buy or sell them anything, in fact that morning I didn’t even really want to tell them about Jesus, I just wanted to love them like Jesus loves me. I did tell them about MetroKidz and how it was a place of hope, and they were more than welcome to come if/when they felt ready.
As the morning ended and I walked back to my car relieved, I thought to myself well I have planted the seed, someone else will come along and hopefully sow it. Little did I know that person might be me…that night one of the boys came to MetroKidz, he was well behaved, and no one knew about his lifestyle. He hugged me on the way in the door and thanked me. I smiled and my heart got really excited.
I really thought in my mind this might be a one-time affair, however these boys have different motives, they chased me down last Tuesday evening and asked if I was coming tomorrow with doughnuts, I looked at them smiled and said, I wasn’t planning too, however since you’ve asked I’ll be there. That morning tears were cried, stories were shared and one little boy who we’ll call “J” looked me in the eyes, with tears welling up and said, Miss you know my story is almost like yours except for I am a boy and you’re a girl. He said to me “I have hope today, I am getting on the bus and going to school for the first time in three weeks,” and that is exactly what he did.
On Thursday morning I boarded a plane for Atlanta, with a text message in my inbox, that said, “Miss Colleen, day 2 of going to school, can you pray for me?” I smiled to myself and tears welled up in my eyes, and I heard this “little” boys words through his text, a little boy who just wanted hope, who just wanted and need(ed)s someone to believe in him, a little boy who found his acceptance pushing drugs on a corner instead of in a school community or church.
Imagine what we could do if we all had a “J” if we all took sometime to give someone a little hope, if we all listened when God called us to be uncomfortable. Imagine if you woke up to a text message from a drug dealer who wants to change, who’s reaching out to you.
While I am not encouraging you to go stand on a corner with a prostitute, or a drug dealer (okay maybe I am), I am encouraging you to listen when God calls you to be uncomfortable. Listen when God calls you on a mission, because you’ll never know whose life you might be changing.
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