He WILL wipe every tear from Their Eyes.

Today I made a seventh grade boy named R.

This boy came into my supervisor's office crying. My supervisor stepped out for a minute and I had this moment of just trying to ask R what was wrong. The boy opened up to me. He told me that his father recently went to jail after beating his mother. R told me that he watched it happen. He tells me this with tears in his eyes. I sit there and feel helpless. I have never witnessed what he has. I have no wisdom or insight. I can see his anger though because something in him knows, that this isn't right. He is not okay with what was done to his mother. He is not okay with what his father did. 

He does not want to be like his father. 

The way that this all happened and was brought to my attention was through a teacher making a comment to R saying, "You don't hit women" after he bumped into a girl in his class. It was clear that R was angry because hitting women is the last thing he wants anyone to do. But is something he saw his own father do.

How does a seventh grader deal with this type of trauma? How does he cope with having to be the oldest sibling of his family and dealing with this? How does he protect his mother? How does he have any sort of life that a 'normal' seventh grader should have? This is normal.

I dont understand.

I dont understand.

I dont understand.

I am angry for him. I am sad for him. But I am also happy that he is able to clearly see that this is wrong. I am happy that he doesn't want to grow up to beat women and disrespect them despite what his father has shown to him. But at the same time, I feel so broken for him. At the same time, I don't know how to fix him. I don't know how to help him. 

I know I can't help him. 

So I am left to be down on my knees, in tears. I am left to cry out to the only God who is capable to heal this boy. I am left to cry out to the only God who sees him and knows him. I am left to just continue on and hoping that if anyway possible I can be used positively in this boy's life. But even if I am not used - I will never forget his story that he told me through tears. He will be in my prayers. I will trust that the Lord holds this boy in the palm of his hands. I will trust that the God of the universe created this boy and loves him. His earthly father has failed him - miserably. But our God is sovereign and I will pray that one day he will be healed and realize there is a father that will never fail him. 

Revelation 21:4

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. 

There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, 

for the old order of things has passed away.”