A prideful heart softened

I faced the stairs and the daunting task ahead. Pride had again reared its ugly head as it fought hard against authority, its eyes only focused on self, and its rights above others. The consequence had been given 20 minutes to sit in the office. As I took the first step I wondering where I would find this young man. Where He would be hiding, avoiding what had been required of him. I reach the top and glance into the office. There, still, quite with a low bent head sat the one just a few minutes had been fighting vigorously.

I bent down and looking up into his eyes, “Thank you, thank you for being here, I am proud of you, I know it was hard”. I looked deep, wanting to hear the wrestle going on inside of him and quietly asked him if he would like to talk more. He slowly uttered a first word. What is normal a boy of many words and little thought was suddenly choosing his words very carefully.  He spoke honestly, of frustration of anger, of the raw, really feelings mixed of what he knew was right and wrong.

As he spoke slowly and more controlled than I had ever seen in the past I was able to confirm and agree of the struggle he was explaining to me, pride, an ugly beast relentless to have its own way. He expressed his yearning for more and he spoke with a rich understand of the conflict it causes with the leaders. He spoke in quiet, sad tones. “Are you done?”  I asked him.

You see this young man has been a part of the youth program for 4 years and he only has one more week left as He is graduating and off to high school next year.  In barely a whisper he responded that he didn't know. I slowed prodded him with question to tell me the ways he had grown since he had come, what had happened over the previous four years and weather those years had been good and fruitful ones. I encouraged him that something that had been such a great thing for so many years did not need to end on this note. We discussed Romans 5:4 and Galatians 5, of perseverance and character, of the fruits of the spirit and the way we are taught, refined and built. He listened quietly. As we finished he thanked me and I was able to prayer for him before he ran off to join the other kids to play.