He cruises in when we least expect it. The face is bright, smiling, and blissfully enjoying what life gives him. He does not appear to have a care in the world. I know otherwise. His single parent struggles to makes ends meet with bills attacking at every corner. The pressures of growing up alone have taken the toll on everyone involved. School will never come easy. Work and hustling for money is a natural friend. The future seems to be quietly narrowing. I wonder how long the smile will continue. He is an amazing testament to the resiliency of children growing to become an adult.
I initially thought he was na?ve, only to discover that nothing could be father from the truth. He has a clear understanding of where he sits in English society. He knows that the options going forward are limited by his schooling, parentage, and current situation. He lives with the reality of limited spending money, a small wardrobe, and friends who are living a life he knows only in his dreams. The restlessness that snarls just below the surface is easy to understand.
For many, the disparity between what is around them and what is available in the future would be too much. Solomon watched someone just like this and records the sight.
“Brazen and brash she was, restless and roaming, never at home, walking the street, loitering in the mall, hanging out at every corner in town.” (Proverbs 7.11,12)
You could see the disaster coming! With no knowledge of what it means to be home, really home, she was on a path of destruction.
Our stories are still being written. No matter where we are in this world we have a home waiting for us, specifically created knowing our preferences by a God who knows us intimately. Our outcome here is clearly in our hands, no matter what type of curve life has thrown us. Being restless is an early sign that our sense of hope is not based on our real home. God is waiting for you; stop by today.
