Something has changed...

About every two weeks I pick up two of the teen girls and we spend a few hours together. God has specifically put two of them on my heart. I have known both of them for about 9 years, one of them is more tender and the other one has been like a brick wall for the 9 years I have known her. Over the years I have seen glimpses of tenderness, but mainly hardness. But this was one that I believed I just wasn't supposed to give up on. Yesterday I needed to run a few errands and invited the girls to come with me. We had so much fun! We went to a clothing store, they tried on clothes, then took pictures with their phones. We went to a smoothie shop and sat and drank smoothies. One of them asked if we could sit and talk instead of just take off right away. So, we did. We had good conversations and a little bit more of that hardness was melting away. We went to the grocery store and they smelled fresh ground coffee for the first time. On our way home they began asking me questions about my life and my family. When a teenager does this, you know something has changed. Because they are showing that they care about you. I won't forget that day. I believe it was a turning point for the one girl in particular. She saw love, and she knew she was safe enough to be herself and to let her guard down. Thank you Jesus.