So at the end of chapel, one of the teachers prayed for the kids. He prayed for their innocence, that they wouldn't fall victim to peer pressure, that they would be strong and confident enough in Jesus and in themselves that they wouldn't seek love in the approval of others. My eyes actually filled with tears as I looked at their round, sweet faces. I see such goodness in them, even in the trouble-makers, and as I watched their bowed heads and tightly closed eyes, I began to feel like I'm about to send my sheep to the wolves. They have no idea what is waiting for them in middle school, and I know some of them will fall victim to the slaughter. The worse part is that I can see foreshadowing of it already: one of my girls tells me she watches this show called "Ninas Malas" ("Bad Girls"), and she sees herself trying to emulate the characters on the show. It is for a lack of love, this deep need for love and acceptance and approval, that these kids will start to make big life choices. I can tell them until I'm blue in the face, "It doesn't matter what other people think," but they need to realize that, really own that knowledge, on their own. I just hope that already know how much they are loved.
