When God Tells You to Pray.

I was out walking yesterday and found some I.D. on the sidewalk. It was the bank card and health card that caught my eye first. I picked them up and a few feet further I found some pictures of children. There were some names on the pictures and it appeared that these were siblings of the bank card owner. This owner was a 17-year-old boy and by the Children's Aid benefit card, was not living at home with these siblings. I was able (with some fine detective work) to track down where this boy was living. He was living in a local motel room, at the courtesy of Children's Aid. I actually spoke with his mother on the phone and I could hear the frustration in her voice. Another person I spoke with, shared that this boy was known to get into trouble. I felt empathy for the mom. I have felt that frustration before with my own teenager and could understand why she had "washed her hands" of the situation. I'm sure there were so many times that those siblings were deeply effected by the poor choices of this boy. Mom had to make a painful choice. Perhaps she felt that if her son was to fall hard enough, he might get a dose of reality and realize he needed to change. I felt so connected to her.
When I took the I.D. to the motel, the door of the room was open but no one was there. There was the stench of last night's booze (and who knows what else) in the room. It was a pathetic sight of a dingy room, a double bed, a tiny fridge and a play station. What this boy probably thought was the Life of Riley, made me want to cry. These choices that he is making will affect the rest of his life. I gave the I.D. to the motel clerk and went on my way. For some reason I was hoping to see the boy. I wasn't sure what I would say to him, I just wanted to connect somehow. It was then that the Lord prompted me to pray for this boy. It was then that the Lord directed me to not only pray today but to continue to pray for him. I later found out that the police brought the boy back to the motel room to pack his things and he left in the cruiser. I have no idea what he has done. This is but another step in his short life of poor choices.
So as the Lord has burdened my heart, I will pray for "Quinn" and for him to discover the Living God that loves him dearly and has a much better plan for his life.