Turning the Hard Corner

A young man I know is struggling.

Against his will, he was uprooted.  Taken far away from the only place he has ever called Home.  Far away from his lifelong Friends.  And the teenage Dreams he thought were about to come true.

He has entered into a strange new life like an actor.  Suddenly immersed in a part that seems better suited for someone else.  In a strange new land whose newness has worn so thin that Home-sickness had no problem breaking through.

He’s miserable right now.

Sitting at the intersection of Responsibility (Response-Ability) and Opportunity.  Perfectly positioned for The Choice that will “make or break” whatever comes next in his life.

I remember when I was at just such an intersection, Lord.  It was many years before I knew You. Sixteen, to be exact.  But You were right there with me nonetheless.  Helping me make the Right Choice.

I was in Madrid, Spain.  I had barely started my Junior Year Abroad.  Something I had dreamed about — and worked toward — since the seventh grade.  The Dream of My Lifetime… up until that point.

And I was miserable.

It was culture shock.  I thought I was already fluent in Spanish, but to be totally immersed?  All I heard was noise!  I was afraid of showing my ignorance, of looking foolish.  I missed my loved ones.  I couldn’t afford to call Home.  I felt so alone…

… so I hid.

I spent hours in my dorm room… sleeping.  Going to class when I had to.  Eating meals without speaking much.  Avoiding contact with people as much as I could.  Until the day I realized where I truly was…

At the intersection of Responsibility (Response-Ability) and Opportunity.  Perfectly positioned for The Choice that would “make or break” whatever would come next in my life.

I remembered the Dream of My Lifetime.  How hard I had worked to get there.  How close the Dream was… right in front of me.  IF only I would choose to make the most of it.

I didn’t know You then, Lord, or even think about You.  But that didn’t stop You from whispering into my ear the very things I needed to hear.  And it didn’t stop You from stirring my heart to do the very things I needed to do.

So I turned that Hard Corner… and that year became one of the best of my entire life!

That’s my prayer for the young man who is struggling tonight.  He doesn’t know You either, Lord… yet. But that won’t stop You from meeting him in the places others don’t see… will it?  The places where he aches the most.

The places where only You, Lord, can make a way where he sees no way.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a Voice behind you, saying, ‘This is The Way; walk in it.'”  (Isaiah 30:21)

Waiting and watching, gratefully…

Abba’s Girl

 

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