I picked up a runaway

~It's a Holly Day today

I picked up a young runaway the other week.

She was dirty, wore baggy sweat pants and a yellow sweatshirt, and had muddy bare feet. I was stopped at an intersection when she sauntered across the street right in front of my car.

I continued on when the light turned green.

But I could not get those bare feet out of my mind. Muddy bare feet.

Why was this young girl walking across a busy intersection with no shoes in the middle of the day? About a mile down the road I felt the Lord encouraging me to turn around and go find that girl with bare feet.

It was a gentle, but direct nudge I could not refuse.

I found her several minutes later outside a convenience store with a cup of water in her hand. I pulled up and rolled down my window, 'Hey, what's going on with you?'

With little emotion she replied, 'oh nothing.'

'Well...what are you doing? Can I take you home?' I offered.

'You can take me to my friend's house,' she answered.

'I'd rather take you home, ' I said. 'Where do you live?'

'Well, I'm running away from home, so you can't take me there,' she said.

'Oh. Well I would like to. Where do you live?' I asked again. 'Please get in my car, I really want to take you home.'

A few more hem's and haw's were volleyed back and forth but eventually she complied.

(And oh how my heart was pounding!)

My new friend Sarah was only in 8th grade, skipping school and leaving home because she got into an argument about friends with her parents. She had been gone for 2 days. The previous night she had slept outside.

I prayed for just the right words to come from my mouth on that short 18 minute ride home with my fragile but captive audience of one.

As I dropped Sarah off at her home, she mentioned that she was planning to pack up some things and leave again, while her parents were at work.

I prayed that the Lord would take over from there and keep her home. I drove off and I felt a peace in what He had led me to do that day.

It just so 'happened' that a minor traffic accident had just occurred around the corner as I was leaving. So I pulled over and told one of the officer's about Sarah, hoping they could also help her in some way.

Stop her. Detain her. Guide her. Protect her. Save her.

As I pray for my runaway friend each day, I realize that she is not much different from you and me. From a place we have journeyed or perhaps are living through right now...

Most of us have found ourselves running away at some point in our lives. Running, but desperately hoping to be found.

She is lonely. She is angry. She feels betrayed. She feels misunderstood. She feels unloved. She is searching. She is confused. She is bitter. She is so young.

Oh my friend, I pray that you will have eyes to see and ears to hear. You ARE loved.

You are loved indeed.

Seek Him right now.

'I will be found by you,' declares the Lord, 'and will bring you back from captivity...'
Jeremiah 29:14


~Holly
Assistant to Lysa