A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
A couple of years ago we had a resident who was very challenging and hyperactive, named Zeke. He was extremely dedicated to a select group of rule sets, and paid no attention to details otherwise. There was about a six-month period where he would frequently utter the phrase, “You’re doing it wrong!” to someone, anxious for the opportunity to point out someone else’s faults or inadequacies. This approach to accountability usually led to others’ annoyance and a backlash of identifying Zeke’s own flaws. Inevitably, the situation would devolve into a petty argument that would require some mediation.
Children Hearing “You’re Doing it Wrong”!
Zeke struggled to make connections with those around him, even with the ones he cared for and wanted a relationship with. His focus on what was wrong in each scenario, or what was lacking from another person, stood in his way of engaging what was right. As Zeke grew in our program, he began to recognize the positives in his experiences and interactions. He still wavered occasionally, but he learned to add a constructive element to his criticism. His ability to develop relationships grew as he started including positivity to his outlook.
Zeke’s background did not instill this approach to life in him. He was with our program for over three years before
graduating from high school and moving on to college, and it took every bit of that time to help him understand how to adjust his perspective. Many of our residents have both learned and self-imposed limitations to their perspectives, and our staff work very hard to help them reshape their world views. From our Rising Stars Leadership classes to collaborating with roommates to complete their chores, our residents are constantly pitted against their own stunted outlooks on life. We challenge them to apply themselves toward improvement by engaging the good and learning to affect the necessary changes.
Thank you for the support that you provide that allows our program to continue teaching new perspectives to young people like Zeke.
By Heath Kull | theranches.org
