I was standing inside a school office yesterday getting ready for a meeting. I walked in the school that afternoon like I had many times before and everything seemed normal.
Then all of the sudden Police were running into the office telling everyone to lock down the school. A middle school age boy was in the office with us and they instructed the teacher to take him away from the window. Then I heard someone explaining to someone on the phone what was going on. The student had gotten a text from his Mom who was sitting out front in her car and told him to come out or she was going to shoot the school up!
I was like What???? It didn’t take long before the police had the Mother in custody outside. As disturbing as that was, what I was hearing coming from the other side of the office was even more heart breaking. It was the son of the Mother who was arrested screaming. He was screaming in pure sorrow. I mean can you imagine how he felt? Knowing that his Mom was being taken away in handcuffs from his school. My heart broke for him. I thought of his sweet face all night last night and still today. What did his night look like? What faced him this morning when he woke up? Was someone caring for his emotional needs? Did he get a hug before school? Did he get breakfast? How can he learn at school when his home life is in such chaos? Has anyone ever told him that the ONE that created him will never leave him? Are there people around him that love Jesus and will help him walk this journey, a journey that looks to be a very difficult one. I pray for these things for him.
As we start our weekend lets all look to our right and to our left and see those that are hurting. May we not look away but embrace, love and serve them.
“Lord, help us not miss one of your desperate children!”
“ I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40