I'm saddened by the world my kids will inherit as grown-ups. Violence is pandemic. Nations hate each other and are constantly at war. Greed drives so much of what countries do. You never know who to trust in government. Starvation and poverty exist even though the world has enough resources that it doesn't have to. Life doesn't seem valued. The news seems to be only about the bad happening all around us.
I confessed, "Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed and sad by the state of affairs, I don't know how to help all the people who need it." His reply spoke straight to my heart. The reason I remember it so clearly and word for word is because it is exactly the same thing God had been speaking to my heart every time I started to feel this way. He says, "Mom, I think our mission as Christians is to help people one on one. You change the world one person at a time. You don't have to start some large organization to make a difference. You just have to touch the life of one person."
All the sadness I was feeling instantly lifted as my heart filled with gratitude for the simple yet profound wisdom spoken to me by my 14 year old. In that instant I knew I didn't need to ever fear what the future held for him. He's not just repeating the "party line" or a statement of faith. These were his own convictions. He knows that still, small voice and he lets it guide him. He really has been listening to what we've been teaching all these years. He knows who he is, he knows where to find himself and he listens to his heart. My heart is at ease.
That was only the smallest part of our conversation, the rest I treasure in my heart like all of our one on one special moments. His insights, ideas and wisdom about the issues we were discussing continued to enlighten me, give me peace and excite me about how he sees the world and the future. I value his point of view and I learn a lot from him. I love that he likes to share his heart with me, ask tough questions, and talk about anything from current events to algebra to what God's teaching me to how his phone conversation went with his friend to random science facts at dinner.
