Hope

I had a stressful week.

It's a bit of a long story, but Kirk's girlfriend Hope has come to live with us.

She is seventeen and she left home 2 weeks ago after having a fight with her mom. For 2 weeks she lived on the streets and her parents didn't know where she was.

We only just met Hope on Tuesday. When we realized what was going on, we insisted that she stay with us for the night and that she call her parents to let her know where she was. She very reluctantly agreed that we could call her folks and let them know she was here and ok. (Trust me, I would have called whether she agreed or not!) I think more than anything she was afraid she was going to be in big trouble for running away.

Hope's parents know that we are not trying to usurp their parental authority by taking her in. We simply cannot allow her to live on the streets. We have been encouraging her to work things out with her parents. She has agreed to return home on Wednesday and she will stay at home with them while we are on our vacation. With the consent of her parents we have given her the option of returning here if she has been unable to resolve her problems at home by the time we return from vacation. She understands that if she chooses to live with our family then she is expected to live by the rules of our family. This is not just a place to "crash".

This is not a case of a kid who took off because she didn't like the rules. She is simply a seventeen year old kid, a bit mixed up and in need of some guidance. Her folks are decent people. Hope admits there is no abuse or any sort of neglect. She is simply going through a time in her life where she and her folks don't see eye to eye, and you and I know that seventeen year old kids feel everything so intensely. Her parents are more than capable of providing guidance, but she's not in a place where she can accept it. We don't expect this to be a permanent solution, but for now she has a safe place to stay where she can be part of a family that gets along. I so hope that she is able to benefit from that. Ultimately, we hope that she will return to her parents permanently. And of course we pray that she may see her Saviour through us.

My own mother lived with her older sister from age17 until she got married. She and her mom could not get along and made each other miserable but their relationship improved after my mom moved out. When I think about my own kids and what it would be like if one of them left home at so young an age...well, I guess you can understand why I've been feeling stressed this week. I worry for Kirk too. This is an awful lot for a kid his age. What will happen if he and Hope end their relationship...and she's still living here? And then there's the whole aspect of making sure they are supervised at all times and not left alone together. Teenage hormones + close proximity = trouble that we do not need!

Even for those of us who are in Christ, human relationships are hard. We are so blessed to have good relationships with all of our kids. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination - it's not "Leave It To Beaver" world here. There's a lot of sinful behaviour in this house - more than I care to admit - but there's a lot of grace too and I think that's what makes the difference.

I have no idea what to expect beyond Wednesday. It is in His hands. I will keep you posted as this progresses.