College doesn’t cut it when it comes to this. My grades may have been good but what good are those A’s when suddenly you’re the adult she trusts? They don’t teach you the answers for when she comes to your classroom and tells you she doesn’t know where God is. How do you respond when her eyes go glassy saying that she wonders if maybe He’ll come find her someday?

I have nothing to do but fumble and fake the experience and wisdom she wants me to possess. I grope blindly for the right response to get her to open up and the questions to push her in the right direction. I want to spread my arms and show her how much she is beloved by this Creator she can’t find. Instead I sit in my chair, and she sits on my stool (she’s so proud that she gets to sit there), and I meet her eyes with a look to support the words I say over and over: I’m here for you. I know life hurts. I love that you talk to me. Please don’t stop.