By Dr James Dobson
I remember sitting in my car at a fast-food restaurant eating a hamburger and french fries. When I looked in the rearview mirror, I saw the most pitiful, scrawny, dirty little kitten on a ledge behind my car. I was so touched by how hungry he looked that I got out, tore off a piece of my hamburger and tossed it to him. But before this kitten could reach it, a huge grey tomcat sprang out of the bushes, grabbed the morsel and gobbled it down. I felt so sorry for the little guy who turned and ran back into the shadows, still hungry and frightened.
I was immediately reminded of my years as a secondary school teacher. I saw teenagers every day who were just as needy, just as deprived and just as lost as that little kitten. It wasn't food that they required; it was love, attention and respect and they were desperate for it. And just when they opened up and revealed the pain inside, one of the more popular kids would abuse and ridicule them, and send them scurrying back into the shadows, frightened and alone.
As adults, we must never forget the pain of trying to grow up and the competitive world in which many adolescents live today.
Taking a moment to listen to, care for or direct such a youngster may be the best investment of a lifetime.
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