For the sake of one

On Saturday we were downtown handing out WOW Jam fliers around the Baton Rouge Dream Center. For those who don’t know, on March 2nd HPC is partnering with WOW International (Winning Our World) to host a giant block party at Gus Young Park. We’re hoping to have a couple thousand people come out and enjoy the entertainment, hot food and tons of other free stuff we have planned. And, in order to get two thousand people to show up, we have to go and invite then. Hence, the fliers.

So, I’m walking down 36th Street with a team of volunteers and these two boys come and join our little group. We start talking and I find out they’re their names are DJ and Shakeem, they’re both nine years old and they live in the neighborhood. They start helping us deliver the fliers, telling us which houses are vacant and where the big dogs live. As we were walking down the street I asked Shakeem what he was going to do when he grew up. Without thinking he said, “Nothing”. He wasn’t being disrespectful; he was being honest. He didn’t expect to grow up. I thought for a moment about what his life must be like, living in the midst of daily violence, addiction and poverty. For him, growing up wasn’t an option; he expected to die in the streets, as so many of the young men around him already had. My heart broke.

“Hey Shakeem,” I said, “look at me for a minute.” He turned around and I looked into his big brown eyes. “You look like a teacher.” I said. “Yeah, that’s what I think it is. You probably need to get good grades in school because I think you’re going to end up teaching.” He furrowed his brow and said, “Really?” I nodded. We didn’t talk any more about school or his future plans, but I think a seed was planted.

I started thinking about WOW Jam and how it relates to someone like Shakeem. This event is going to cost several thousands dollars, require a ton of planning and we need about 500 volunteers just to pull it off. I was thinking about Jesus and how He went to the cross, with no guarantee, just so I would have the option to choose Him. I believe, with everything in me, that Jesus would have died for one.

Maybe Shakeem is our one. Maybe everything we do in north Baton Rouge is for one young boy who doesn’t believe he has a future. Maybe our entire job down there is to bring him hope. If it is just for one, it’s worth it. All glory to God!