THE VULNERABLE DEN MOTHER

My passion for people experiencing utter darkness isn’t something I ever thought I’d be in the middle of. In fact, I avoided vulnerability and sharing anything about the past with others like “the plague”. It wasn’t until I became a believer in my 20’s, and ventured out to China with Youth With A Mission that Jesus began to soften my heart. He put me in the most uncomfortable situation. I was the oldest girl in that cohort of travelers, and I became this sort of “den mother”. Initially I hated being in this mentor roll—but then as I took this crazy leap of faith in vulnerability, the girls just kept coming to me for advice. I’d listen to their hurts and fears and try to calm their anxiety, all while wondering why God put me in this overwhelming spot. Now I know without a doubt it was God’s guiding hand that allowed me to see ways I could love others deeply. Most recently, I had a very dear friend visit who is currently wrestling with severe depression. It was heavy and I could feel the despair. At first, I didn’t know how to handle it, but I just kept praying for wisdom from the Holy Spirit, the great psychiatrist. I felt a nudge to meet her where she was at, cry with her, listen to her deep pain, pray with her, and answer some tough questions about God like, “why would he allow this to happen to me”. I didn’t try to fix her. I just trusted that the Lord would guide her through this very difficult process. I felt it was my role as a Christian sister to just be there for her.