Tonight, a friend texted me to ask for prayer because she was in the ER with her 11 year old son. Why? Because he said he wanted someone to shoot and kill him. He’d simply lost the desire to live, as he sees no point in doing so. I asked if this was sudden. She responded that it’d been gradual.
You have to understand that this is a child I met when he was around 4 months old. I have loved him from that day to present. My first response was to tell him that I needed him to remain here, grow up, and change lives and then…I was overcome with shock, sorrow, anger, gratitude, and tears that continued for hours. Shock because I know him to be such a happy and fun loving kid, sorrow because of the present situation, anger because the darkness had the nerve to think it could take him, and gratitude because thoughts did not become actions. He is still here and there is still an opportunity for prayer, for change, for healing, for growth, for help, for support, for love. I’m looking foward to a future with him in it.