A precious little one

My days in the nuthouse were without a doubt some of the loneliest days of my entire life.   A lonely place for any adult....but a child?  A dear friend called me last night and asked me to pray for her best friend's little girl.  An 11 year-old precious girl, the daughter of a christian woman that's living out a nightmare that loving mothers don't deserve to have.  Most eleven year-olds are wondering when they'll 'get their period'.  They are spending Friday nights with their best girlfriends, watching movies, eating popcorn and drinking hot chocolate.  They make prank phone calls to all the boys in their class.  They stay up all night telling scary stories and playing 'truth or dare'.  That's what eleven year-olds do, right?  This precious one is walking the halls of a psych unit, wondering why her mommy had to leave her alone.  She watches the others closely.  Why do some of the kids sleep so much?  Why doesn't anyone look happy?  She wonders what she did wrong to end up here.  She tried to be good.  She just wants to feel 'normal'.  She longs to have a still mind.  An eleven year-old girl should be thinking about which cute pair of boots to wear with her leggings, not if that pill they give her will make her head feel funny again or if she'll get to go home tomorrow....or will it be the next....or will she ever get to go home again?   So many unknowns.  Too many unknowns for a child.

But there is one certainty in this heartbreaking situation.  Our Lord Jesus Christ adores this little girl.  She's not alone in this place. She may roam the halls, but she's not walking the halls alone.  When she lays her  head down on the cheap squishy pillow, He's there....He's right there wiping her tears and whispering so softly in her ear....I'm here, baby. I'm right here. I'm not leaving you. I know this place is scary, but you are not alone. Don't cry.  I'm here.  And in that instant, her mind is at peace.  And she sleeps.

Please help me pray for my little friend.  Pray that they will quickly discover the reason for the struggle in her mind.  Pray for her family as they have to let go of their precious girl.  They spend one hour a day looking into her eyes as she tries to make sense of the nonsense.  They have to trust like they've never had to trust before....not ever.  I mean, this is their precious child.  They would trade places with her in a second, if only they could.  But they can't.  So they hold on desperately to what they believe in.  And they wait.