As I woke Ben, he wasn't sure about his decision any longer; but he did get up, shower and wander downstairs for breakfast. We left the house at 6:15, while Brad ate breakfast with William and prepared to take him to school.
This is Ben's first year of high school and while he's well liked, the social pressure has certainly stepped up from junior high. When I pulled into the parking lot, he was a bit "freaked" about not seeing anyone he knew. It was, after all, still dark.
As I approached the circle drive to drop him off (Parents are NOT part of this -- and that's really a good thing!), I could see 50-plus sleepy students around the flag pole. Dozens more cars were pulling in behind me. Wow! The previous junior high years had surfaced maybe 20-30 kids total.
Although I tried to hide it, I began to cry.
"I'm proud of you," I said.
"OK?" he replied.
"You get that God comes first and you're willing to honor him. So are all the rest of these people. How cool is that?" I said.
"Sure. See you later," he said as he opened the door and closed it behind him.
You see, I didn't "get it" for sooooooo long. If there were these kinds of events when I was a kid, I knew nothing of them, and likely wouldn't have attended if I had known.
I am truly moved by kids who are stepping up and out -- and EARLY -- for their faith in God. This wasn't a "show up and be popular" event. It was about kids who really were there for the right reasons. That blows me away.
When and where do we stand up and out like that?
I'm humbled -- and hopeful for the future of humanity.
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