Not all our missing children are out of sight. So many of them are missing in plain view. We send them off to school every day with book bags and lunch boxes, but do we know where they are academically? We see them secretly posting on social media and overhear their muted phone calls, but do we know where they are socially? They told us where they were going, but do we know where they are physically? We are keenly aware of the terrific traumas and tragedies in their short histories, but do we know where they are mentally?
They seem to be steadily getting taller, but do we know where they are developmentally? We watch them ride a wave of emotions seeming to hold on for dear life, but do we know where they are spiritually? We occasionally hear them express their hopes and dreams, but do we know where they are aspirationally?
As parents, pastors, and community, we may never fully know the answers to all these questions. However, it is our responsibility to at least raise the question, spark a conversation and take intentional actions to pinpoint where our children are right now. Not where they were. Not where they should be. Not even where we want them to be.
The question is: “Do you know where your children are right now!”
Ironically enough, missing where our children are now can quickly lead to them being missing later. Missing from the football team because they had poor grades. Missing from the high school graduation ceremony because they simply dropped out. Missing from the ranks of the gainfully employed because they are behind bars. Missing from home because they are runaways. Missing from their communities because they are victims of human trafficking. Missing from class because they are skipping school. Missing from senior citizenship because they died from an opioid overdose at an early age.
This simple and yet seriously critical question begs to be asked and answered by all. Do you know where your children are? The YOU and YOUR in this question refers to parents, pastors, politicians, community partners, non-profits, for-profits and more. These are our children. Therefore, we must take the question personally, ask the question collectively, search for our children diligently, and provide the necessary resources to stir them in a positive direction immediately.
That’s why I am inviting you, your church, your community organization, your business, and/or media outlet to join me in a campaign to saturate Central Ohio with this question. “Do you know where your children are?” Post it on billboards, bumper stickers, social media, newsletters, radio and television stations, and more. In so doing, we can call our entire community to accountability for where our children are and remind ourselves of our duty to respond.
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