Something Beautiful

(East Lake Academy's WyldLife club on Monday nights)

"Something Beautiful"

By Madison Akins

I'm writing this from the back of our fifteen passenger van after dropping off a load of kids.

On Monday nights I volunteer as a leader for Wyldlife, a middle school Christian club. The one I help at with Paris and Cecily is in the inner-city of East Lake, Chattanooga, TN.

Earlier we were finishing up the last game when my sister came up to me and whispered that a girl was crying.

I looked up and easily spotted one of the only white girls in the room, and yes, she was crying. This wasn't very unusual, considering that this young girl is often picked on by the other kids. She's the one they all make fun of, avoid, and groan when they hear that she's going wherever it is they're going.

Why? I don't know. Maybe it's because she is a different color then them.  Maybe it's because she smells bad. Maybe it's because she's smart, or comes from a crazy family.  For whatever reason, they just don't like her.

I've often felt sorry for her, and when I saw her crying, I felt the same. I walked over to try and figure out what was wrong, but she was hard to understand through all her tears.  Paris pulled her away from the staring kids, and I tried to talk to her.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

She sobbed and rambled on about something someone did thirty minutes ago, and honestly I couldn't understand half of it.  Finally I told her to calm down, stop crying, and we'll talk about it. It was kind of loud, so I took her into the hall.

She looked at me through red rimmed eyes and said, "I'm always bullied!  I was never bullied in New York! I've been bullied ever since I moved here." The tears started up again. "Sometimes I just think this is a mistake. I shouldn't be here."

We've all heard those stories of kids that were bullied. Bullied so much that they decided to end their own lives. It's so sad and tragic.  Now, I'm not saying that this girl was thinking that far, but to have an eleven-year-old girl cry and tell you she thinks part of her life is a mistake is just heartbreaking.

I felt the pressure of being the one to encourage her, so I briefly closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. "Lord, give me the words to say to her."

I took a breath and knew what I needed to do. I needed to speak life over her. Hope. Let her know that this isn't the end, it gets better.

So I did. I leaned close and said everything I knew was true.  "I love you. God loves you. Miss Akins and Mrs Kara love you. This won't last forever....things will get better. Just think about the story you're going to have. One day you'll be able to help kids who have gone through the same things. You can tell them what God has done for you..... the Bible says that God works all things together for the good of those that love Him.  God will make your life beautiful."

I just encouraged her, and told her her truth until I thought she heard. And prayed it was enough.

After talking with her, a song came to my mind. A friend of mine had sang it at her church before, and the words seem to fit this girl's life and what I was trying to tell her perfectly. I really wanted her to hear it.

As I climbed into this van to drop kids off, I asked her to sit by me. I told her there was a song I wanted to sing for her about trusting God to make our lives beautiful, even when we don't understand. She wanted to hear it.

I sat here in the back of van and sang:

"I lean not on my own understanding

My life is in the hands of the Maker of Heaven

I give it all to You, God

Trusting that you'll make something beautiful out of me"

Afterwards, she looked at me and said, "You guys always say the perfect things when I'm sad."

So God had answered my prayer and given me the right words. I know one talk won't fix her problems forever, and I know she will cry again, but I hope that now she has something good to remember and cling to. I was relieved and whispered, "Thank You, Lord."

Because when there's a young girl crying about her life, I don't want to waste the opportunity to let her know that God can make it into something beautiful.

"To all who mourn....He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair." - Isaiah 61:3

Madison Akins is a 16-year-old college freshman who loves God and people.  She enjoys being healthy and spending time with family and friends.  She's passionate about helping impoverished children and singing (which she does all the time).  More than anything, she wants to grow forever closer to her Savior.