Catalyst and Scars

              There has been obstacles and trials in life that brought me to my knee's in wonderment "Why God, why this? Why did You have to allow this or couldn't You have prevented it somehow?" Then I pick myself up, dust myself off and keep moving forward trying to put the past behind me and embrace the new day. I've had many experiences where I question the meaning in all of it leaving me in frustration. It wasn't until last night in during a youth outreach event in a small Nebraska town that I finally understood the scars I bear. Not a word was said and yet the message was loud and clear; someone else had been in their shoes. They saw my arms, looked down at their shoes before staring me directly in the eye.
        Teens today are facing the same enemies  of loneliness, worthlessness, and the same old lies in a more covert disguise. This time the stakes are much higher. Instead of knowing that one day they will grow out of it, more and more teens are turning to permanent solutions for temporary problems. The results can lead to a lifetime of regret or become deadly. For the teens, it was like a breath of fresh air besides shock to hear an adult echo what they are currently struggling with. 
     In a world full of technology, social media, computers, and text messages, the soul is growing ever increasingly lonely and looking for a connection, something meaningful to embrace. All that's needed to fight the lies we are all faced with when we are alone is for one person to reach out and say "I care". It only takes one person to the be catalyst to change in someone else's life. Are you going to be the change?