Did you hear about Boo?
Monday I was sitting in the Plainfield train station waiting for the 8:38 to New York when the conversation turned to the local gossip. There was normal conversation about local politics or neighborhood personalities - until someone said "Did you hear about that kid that got shot?"
It had happened the day before. A young man - in his later 20's and out of jail only recently - was ambushed and shot three times in the chest. He was dead at the scene.
Of course, the discussion turned to an analysis of the "why". Was it a rival gang thing? Did he sleep with someone's girl? Was it an old beef? People love to be sociologists in these moments when the person is just "that kid that got shot".
The young man cleaning the station jumped in and informed the group that he had known him. He had gone to high school with him. I asked for his name. "I didn't know his real name - he went by "Boo".
Then I realized I also had known him.
As a first-year youth pastor I had what most would consider a highly successful youth ministry. Over 100 kids - mostly from the neighborhood - came to our Wednesday night meeting. They played basketball, hung out, played in our "game room", and heard the gospel. Boo was one of those kids. He wasn't a "core" kid - he was the sometimes boyfriend of one of the girls who came every week. I knew him enough to say hello...but that was about it.
In those days - if I was honest - I thought that my youth program was enough. There were a ton of kids and the gospel. They had fun, I worked hard on the program and room, and occasionally I went somewhere outside of the church where kids were.
Somehow a kid, a kid named Boo, came into my ministry and left without ever having developed a relationship with a man who loved Jesus and loved him.
We have the power to rewrite the story of kids' life. Boo's story (though there is so much more) will ever be one sentence "that kid that got shot". God had a different story. God wanted him to be "Boo - man for whom love has replaced fear, who loves a wife and children, who is working to change his community, who lives at peace with his God and neighbors." His story could have been different.
I wonder how many kids like this are in our ministries? Maybe we won't have such a dramatic story - but there are kids for whom you are going to re-write their script. Our job is to help them see that the version of their life is a tragedy when God wants to write an action-adventure with a dose of romance.
This week ask God to make Boo's life matter by allowing us to never let kids come and go when it's in our power to walk with them and make a difference. May we never be satisfied with our programs when God has called us to ministry.
Be blessed this week.
