How did we get here...

In the future people will look at pictures of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and talk about the evil he and his brother Tamerlan brought upon the city of Boston. Many will bring up the Middle East and the restless political and social unrest there as a source for the Boston bombings.

I believe these discussions would be justified on some level.

When I look at Dzhokhar's picture that's not what I see. I see a 19 year old kid who doesn't brush his hair enough. I see a kid who worshiped his big brother and followed him anywhere. I see a kid who had a bright future, who was smart, educated, and athletic. I see no more evil in his eyes than students I meet for coffee or take out to lunch.

But there is still evil there. There is still evil in the eyes of the students I meet.

Do the students in Youth Group/Young Life blow up marathons? Obviously not.
Do they do similar things in their hearts? All the time.

My good friend Seth had this to say about Dzhokhar "You can talk revenge if you want, but my first thought on hearing about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was, '19 is too young. Too young to ruin your life, too young to cause that much suffering, too young to lose your soul.'"

I am struggling with the reality that students I interact with could end up this way.

I am challenged today to love better believing that God will work through it
I am challenged today to speak truth with urgency believing that God will work despite me
I am challenged today to go deeper with students believing that God works in relationship


I hope today that you feel called to come along side me as we reach the next generation.

I wonder what would have happened with the Tsarnaev brothers if they had people in their lives willing to step up and build relationships with them. Would we even know their names?