Guilt

The funny thing about yesterday's post is that I don't feel guilty about embarrassing Adelle by publicly sharing her first bra shopping experience. I feel guilty about throwing the students I work with under the bus, with the phrase "the chance of making it to graduation is pretty slim."

For some students that is true. Some are on track for graduation. And a few graduated this year. But I learned two valuable experiences from working with the families of the most at-risk students in the high schools these last few years.

1. Don't judge. I can't climb inside their minds and without being there I cannot really understand why they make the decisions or behave the way they do. If I was privy to the workings of their brain, I believe I would find their behavior very logical and would realize that they are doing what makes sense to them within their frame of mind.

2. Where much is given, much is required. A few weeks ago I interviewed one of my students asking what she planned to do for employment after high school. She had no answer. I tried to prode a little, asking "when you were little what did you dream about becoming?" and "where do you see yourself in ten years?" Her response, "I've had a pretty crappy life. I didn't dream when I was little. And to be honest I see myself dead." After doing a suicide assessment with her, it was clear she was not currently suicidal, she just didn't expect to really live that long.

She is right. Her life has been extremely difficult. Some of it because of decisions she made, some of it because of the situation she was born into. I went home pondering about,  not so much why people have such hard lives, but more about what God must expect from us that have been so blessed from birth. It was humbling. And motivating. I have much work to do.