When there's nothing you can do, but pray.

I know...it's been forever. I hate that I haven't written. But, somehow, whenever I started to write, I would think, "No, It's been so long..." Like that made it any better or something. We've just been so extremely busy. As a family. As Church staff. As a Mommy. My last few shoots with clients haven't been completely edited either. uhhggg...

That said, I'm writing about something that has been heavy on my heart lately. Youth. What more can we do to help them. But, on the other hand, what are we not doing? This situation has made me think. "What am I giving my life to/What should I be giving it to?" (this has all been going on for a long time now)

"She's totally confused," said Tyler, speaking of the girl who had just written me a message on Facebook. She seemed to be asking questions and trying to answer them, but unsure of herself. It's been a little while since this sweet girl left our youth group. We'll call her 'Angie'.

Angie, had come faithfully to each meeting of our churches youth ministry for about 9 months, when she got involved with "the wrong guy". That guy took her down the wrong path quick. She had been soaking up the truth like a sponge after her salvation. Growing so much spiritually, Tyler and I could hardly believe it. And through all of that growth, she assured us that she would be attending a Bible College in the Fall. We were so excited! But like Satan has done so many times before, he crept in, almost secretly and stole her heart in the form of a handsome young man, oozing "spirituality" and charm.

She didn't tell me about him until they had been dating for about a month. And she wouldn't have told me then had she not been badgered to death by me. I stopped by her house one afternoon to check on her. "He's a Jehovah's Witness, I went to his church last Sunday" came the reply to the question of which church she had attended the Sunday before.

A lump in my throat, my heart stopped for a second. "A Jehovah's Witness?!" I couldn't hide my astonishment or disappointment. He didn't believe Jesus was God, in Hell or a myriad of other Bible Truths. What was I supposed to say? Well, the conversation went a little like this,

"Does Tyler know about this?"
"Yes, he gave me a book to read."
"Have you read it?"
"Yes."
"All the way?"
"Almost."

She went on to say that she knew we believed differently. And I said that it was dangerous and a sin for her to be "unequally yoked." She said she understood. Later after a few weeks of missing church she called, said she knew she was doing wrong by being with him. I told her that I loved her and had been praying for her and that she was doing the right thing by breaking up with him.

She never did. She never came back.

We've had several Facebook conversations since then. Tyler was convinced that she was confused, I told him that I didn't think that she was but that she wanted us to know that she didn't agree with what we believed anymore and she was just trying to share with us her "new-found knowledge". I hoped secretly that he was right.

Today I got a message, "...I am not confused. My motive is not debate...Jesus is not God." Ok, so she's letting me know, that she doesn't want to carry on this conversation anymore. But what can I do? Am I to give up? Leave her alone, in her false doctrine and Satan-sent relationship?

The question really is...did I do all I could? I believe the answer is, "yes". I involved her, befriended her, gave her rides, prayed for/with her on spiritual issues, answered her questions from the Bible. We can do all we can do, in the end, it comes down to the fact that we all have Individual Soul Liberty. If 'Angie' has decided to not follow Jesus, then there's nothing I can do but pray.

And so I will. Please pray with me, for this young lady.