I am continually amazed at the intricate ways God works our lives together so that we are able to help others. I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
Just in this last year, God did several things in my life that aided me in counseling these girls. They were not things I wanted to go through at the time, but they were what was necessary to give the girls hope or comfort or joy. My honesty and humility were required, which was not easy, but to see the walls broken down - walls of bitterness, walls of hopelessness, walls of hurt and pain and wreckage - all gone by the grace of God in His abundant love. And He used me! Of all people! At the end of the week, someone said to me, "I just love you, Diane." When I asked what made him say that, he replied, "because you are just exactly what these girls need." And someone else said, "Diane, I knew there was a reason you were here this summer." Such encouraging words. I knew He put me there for a reason, but at the beginning of the week, I had no clue how perfectly He had worked it out, but every question they had was one He had answered for me already.
Some of the girls were not dealing with hurt or pain, but with decisions. They had big dreams, and I was able to show them that they were possibilities. Those dreams can happen. One girl said she felt like she was "stealing my dream" because she wants to be a missionary, but she wouldn't ever say it in so many words. So I got to inspire.
At the end of it all, I was exhausted and sleepy. I felt dirty all week, and my hair wouldn't do anything I wanted it to because of the incessant winds. My pores were clogged with sunscreen, but my nose was pink nonetheless. And at the end of it all, I got to pour into girls who needed Him, and I got to give them what He had given me in abundance. I could have spent that week frustrated with the weather or occupied by thoughts of boys and worry about where I should go in the world, but I left that at home, and my time was so much more fulfilling. I thank God that He gave me the opportunity to know these girls so well - that He allowed me to see myself in them. That He had prepared me in every way to answer their questions, which were so similar to those I had asked about my own life...and I'm getting paid for this!
