“Hurry! You don’t want to miss Bible study tonight!” his mom called out as he ran down the driveway. But he didn’t care. He was done with church and all that it represented.  He had prayed to God for the last time. He also felt bad he lied to his mom about where he was going – but she would never check anyway. She had cupcakes to bake for the Ladies Society at Church tomorrow. She would be busy all day.

This wasn’t the first time William had run away from church. But for sure it was the last. He hitched his backpack onto his shoulder and kept running toward the center of town where the bus station was located. This time he was going all the way. There was no coming back. Although he would miss his mom, he just couldn’t stay in that house another second. His dad would be home any minute and another round of “punch the kid”, would begin and he had just recovered from the last time. No one would ever hurt him again.

And he HAD prayed. He had prayed so hard it hurt in his head but still he kept praying. Yet God let his dad hurt him. He didn’t think to ask his minister or an elder about it because he just thought that they would tell him to go home. So now he was on his own solving his problems by himself.  He could count on himself. That he was sure of.

However, at the bus station things might be taking a turn for the better as far as William was concerned. His ministers son, Dan was there picking up a missionary that was going to be staying with them for a week. Just as Mica stepped from the bus and Dan walked forward to greet him he saw William racing into the terminal as if he were being chased by the devil himself!

“Hey Mica! Just a sec. though…a guy I know looks like he is in trouble.” Dan said

“No problem I’ll wait here and if you need me just wave ok?” Mica replied.

Dan walked over to William who was now digging in his backpack for his money so he could buy a ticket to anywhere the next bus was going.

“William, how are you doing? Going on a trip?” Dan asked.

William was stunned. “Just my luck he grumbled to himself”

“Yes, going to visit relatives.” He lied. And he felt awful for lying to his friend Dan. But he just couldn’t tell him the truth.

But Dan was no fool. He knew that William was running away and had seen bruises on his arms before so he thought it was problems at home. Trying to tread gently, because he felt that William was at a crossing point and he didn’t want to say anything that would confuse or scare him.

“William, let’s go over here for a minute. I have a problem I need help with.” He asked

“Well, sure I guess. I can get my ticket anytime they aren’t expecting me for hours yet.” He lied again.  They sat down and Dan began to speak.

“I have a good friend who is really confused. He is having problems at home and sometimes his dad…well you can imagine. Anyway, he cannot understand how God would let him be hurt and is thinking of turning away from God. What do you think I could do or say that would let him know that God really DOES love him and IS protecting him in his way?”

William sat still as a statue. “He knows…” he thought to himself.

But he also realizes that only a good friend would do what Dan just did.

William began to speak in a hushed voice.

“My dad, he is out of work, and feels responsible for mom & me, but sometimes he is so angry and he .. Well I don’t want to say but what hurts more than anything is that he says I am no good and will never be anything special. Then he calls me “God-Boy” like it is a bad thing. I love God but he never answers my prayers!

I don’t understand why someone just won’t save ME for a change. I just don’t understand.  And I am tired, sore and afraid to go home again. I am never going back home again.” William then began to cry. He couldn’t help himself.  Dan put his arm around his friend and was trying to think of what to do when Mica walked over and introduced himself.

Mica had seen so many people, men & women, boys & girls looking just like William did. Mica asked softly if William would mind if he prayed with him.

“Well sure, if you think it will do any good. God forgot me I think. He never answers my prayers.”  Mica & Dan linked their hands and then they each took one of Williams in theirs and began to pray. As they were praying, William tried hard to stop his tears but suddenly he just couldn’t keep his heart hard anymore. He began to pray earnestly to God out loud.

As the three boys were praying they were overheard by a friend of one of the Elders at Dan’s Church. He got out his cell phone and called Dan’s father who was on the way in seconds.

Just as they stopped praying Stephen, Dan’s father walked into the terminal.

Dan saw his dad and waved him over.

“Hey Dad! Where did you come from? We need you today!”

Kneeling down in front of William he gently took his hands in his.

“William can you ever forgive me?” he asked.

William was shocked. No one had ever asked him that before.

“Well sure I guess? What did you do wrong?”

“I forgot you. I am so busy at Church and all of the Bible Study Groups I just completely forgot you.  I knew that something was wrong at your home and just felt that it would all work out as you and your mom have such a strong faith. But I should have stepped in and that is what I am going to do right now. If you will let me?” he asked.

“It’s not your fault, God forgot me Sir, not you. I prayed to him all the time and nothing changed at my home. It was God Sir, not you.” William said and Stephen watched as his eyes filled with tears again.

“But don’t you see William, God is in all of us, and if just one of us forgets to help someone, forgets to uplift someone, forgets to step in when we know we should, we ALL forgot that one person that needs us the most. God DID answer your prayers. He reminded me that there was someone, one of HIS lambs that I have forgotten. And if it isn’t too late I would like to make things right.”

William couldn’t keep from looking deep into his ministers eyes and he saw reflected in their depths hope and love.

He simply nodded.

Well two months have passed since that day in the bus station and things are really different for William and his friend Dan & his father.  Stephen went with William to the Police station to file a report and with William’s mother’s blessing; he stayed with a nice family from Church while his father went for counseling and job training. His mother also went into counseling and there are plans for them to continue as a family working out things so that they will truly reflect God’s plan for them in their lives.

And William has turned around as well. So much so that in fact when he was at school the other day he saw a boy that looked pretty much like he did.

He walked up to him and asked if he could ask him a question.

“Have you ever felt that God has forgotten you?”

The boy’s eyes opened wide…….

And thus begins again the circle of love that God has given us. He saved us and together, our hand in His we are saving His lambs one at a time…..

God forgets no one………..