Encouragement

---

Kelly sat on the doorstep and stared at the concrete jungle that surrounded her. She grabbed a strand of her long blond hair and toyed with it for awhile. Never, in her wildest imagination, would she have thought she would end up among the drug addicts and derelicts of a big city. Her life had taken a definite turn for the worst since she ran away from home a little over two years ago. Now, at age 17, she didn't know how she was going to feed the tiny bundle of joy that lay sleeping in a basket just to her left.

A familiar, yet unwanted feeling began to creep up Kelly's spine. She tried to ignore it, but it was too late. Fear made her shiver uncontrollably. As she had done so many times before, she reached into her jeans pocket and brought out a piece of paper. It was a note her mother had secretly stuffed into her backpack when she went on a week-long church retreat at age ten. It said, "Whenever you are ready, you can always come home."

Kelly shoved the note back into her pocket. This time, however, home was a welcoming thought. She was more than ready to return to the only place where she knew true love existed -- not only for herself but also for the new life beside her.

So many people, like Kelly, have wandered far from home. Perhaps you are one of them. Have you reached a point where life is meaningless, or you feel like you are running on a treadmill and going nowhere? Has fear caused you to despair and you can't seem to take one more step without thinking: What's the use?

The value of a hand-written note is like gold in the hands of the one who holds it. God has written such a note to you and me. His every word whispers, "I'm here. Whenever you are ready, you can always come home."

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE