A grieving kinda day

I found out today that a young girl (15) at our local high school overdosed on pills last night.

Several years back this same girl saw her mother's decapitated head after a car wreck they were in. I have no doubt that she has had some very serious issues because of this.

I met this girl once or twice through my younger sister who is also 15, but I did not know her well. Despite that I find myself grieving her loss. Not in the way that I am sure her family is. Not even in a close friends kind of way. More of in a I wish-I-would-have-known-her-maybe-I-could-have-done-something, kind of way.

Since I started working with teens, I feel like I have somehow failed when a teen makes a bad decision. Even if it is one I did not know.

I wish there was some kind of magic "speak to all teens everywhere" intercom I could use to bring a message to them all daily. Impossible of course.

My heart aches to know that there are teens everywhere struggling with alcohol or drug addiction. Teenagers, babies, who feel like their only escape is through drug or alcohol use.

I hate to see someone so young lose their life over something that she could have overcome.

It is Wednesday. That means that I have to prepare myself now, to deal with a youth group searching for answers. I have already had one of them call me, another IMed me. They blame themselves. What can I say to that?

My sister told me she wishes it could be yesterday so she could invite her over to her house, or to church, or anywhere but home to take those pills.

How do I respond?

It is times like this were I have to go straight to the source. I have to talk Jesus because only He knows what to tell these kids, and only He can heal the wounds for them.

Pray for me tonight. Pray for my "kids". Pray for the family of this poor little girl who forgot there was more to this world than high school, and never found out that there was healing in Christ Jesus. Look around at all you have and know you are blessed because even in times like this, it could always be worse.