|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Ryan Showalter
|
I took just a moment to savor the complexities of good coffee after finishing off my dessert. I sighed. What a wonderful day – a casual late lunch with my beautiful wife in a restaurant in downtown Lancaster. But when I went to pay the bill, I noticed something that shook the rest of my day.
The woman behind the counter was in her early twenties, and seemed to be one of those happy, unique people who would “have it all.” But as she handed me the bill, I looked down and saw a scar on her inner arm. Not just one, but many small, perfectly cut and aligned razor marks. I quickly looked away.
My heart broke as I thought, “What could possibly be so wrong with her life that she would take up ‘cutting’?” I wanted to rationalize it away; maybe it was a scar from surgery, or maybe an accident; yet having seen scars like that before, I knew their distinctive markings too well.
Here I am in Lancaster County where things like this “just don’t happen,” but my eyes continue to be opened to just how much this kind of thing does happen in our county and our churches. In fact, a couple times a year we in DM see someone confess and cry out for help with this form of self-mutilation. This generation is deeply hurting, to the point that they would cut themselves just to feel the pain and know they’re alive. It’s a way for them to cope with emotional stress.
From county farms to the local high schools, this issue is facing a hurting generation. We as Mennonites often push these issues away, but that makes them all the more dangerous. We need to be able to talk about it. Researchers have found that more than one in ten adolescents has deliberately harmed themselves. Our youth are struggling, walking alone down the boulevard of broken dreams, looking for someone who is out there to help them just make it through another day.
I want to see this generation rise up and have hope not only for another day, but for eternity. God is calling us to have passion for him, and compassion for the world. Compassion for the world makes my heart break to see a young person so scared and empty; my passion for Jesus pushes me to want to be part of the solution of seeing lives changed.
Will you be willing to look beyond all the “perfect masks” that people wear, to see the real hurt and to extend a loving hand?
 |
|
|
Positions Available
Join StaffX at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center to grow spiritually and in leadership skills as you mentor and serve others. Current volunteer staff openings: Community Outreach Coordinator, Mission Mobilizer, Office Assistant, and Prayer Coordinator.
Contact Sherrie Ober if you are interested.
|
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form