It’s been a long time since I slept in a teenaged girl’s bedroom, but I did last night. Who would have thought I’d find Jesus there! Let me explain…
Along with two of my friends, I’m headed on a 10-hour trip to Orlando, Florida, to attend a film conference, my speaker’s group conference, and the International Christian Retail Show. To break the trip up a bit, my friend Donnalynn Davis and I drove down to South Carolina last night and spent the night with another road partner, our author buddy Lynette Eason.
Donnalynn got the guest room, and I got Lynette’s teenaged daughter’s room. It’s a typical 16-year-old girl’s room filled with trophies, blue ribbons, and photos of her and her friends displayed in a cute Pinteresty-fashion across one wall.
The dressing table holds an assortment of lotions, nail polishes and bags of snack foods. A bookcase is filled with a variety of books, with her guitar case leaning against the side. A garment bag with a prom dress hangs from a hook on the wall.
It’s fascinating what you can discover about a person you’ve never met simply from being in her room. But when I closed the door to go to bed, I discovered something really special about Lauryn. This girl loves Jesus.
My heart was so touched as I discovered the carefully chosen Bible verses and quotes taped around the mirror on the back of the door. And then there was the collage frame filled with photos of Lauryn and dozens of children in the Dominican Republic, bright smiles on each face and love evident from the children with their arms wrapped around her neck.
That’s where Lauryn is right now, in the Dominican Republic again with her dad and brother, loving on children, making a difference in the lives of others.
You know, we often hear news reports about teens who are wild and have messed up. I think it’s just as important to bring attention to those who are doing good things—young people like Lauryn Eason who loves God and is reflecting His love in the Dominican Republic.
Spending the night in Lauryn’s room made me think about a couple of things. I’m grateful she’s had a mom and dad who taught her about God, who instilled compassion for others in her, and who’ve enabled her to go on mission trips. Those are priceless investments.
And I’m reminded that we leave traces of Jesus behind in our everyday lives—whether in a bad way or in a good way—like a teenaged girl with Bible verses taped on her mirror and her heart for missions captured in the photos on her wall.
What kind of reflections are we casting today? That’s something for all of us to think about.
