"During the conference, a 16-year-old girl came forward and asked if she could give her testimony. At first, I sensed a little hesitation in my heart, and then I thought, "No, I need to let her speak." And then I did.
The girl's name was Kayla. She told how she had come home from school one day and was excited because some friends had invited her to go with them somewhere. When she told her Mom, she was just sure her mom would be happy about what she was going to do and would certainly let her go. When Mom heard where she was going, who she was going with- Mom said to Kayla: Absolutely not! There is no way I could let you go there and do that.
Kayla's expectations of a great, fun time were smashed to smitherines in a few moments of time. Angrily, she looked at her mother and said, "It's not fair, Mom! You just don't ever want me to have a good time!" And then she stormed up stairs, went in her room, and laid down across her bed. Her mother followed her. Gently, she opened the door, went in, sat on the edge of the bed, and began to explain.
"Kayla. It's not that we don't want you to have a good time. Actually, there are three good reasons why I don't want you to go. Number one is this, honey: It's against the rules of our home. We don't go to such places- none of us go to places like that. Secondly: I'm concerned about the friends you want to go with, honey. Frankly, I think it's the wrong crowd for you to be around and I'm concerned about you spending so much time around that group of people. Thirdly, Kayla, the main reason I don't want you to go: I don't want you to go because I love you and I want the best for your life. Kayla? I said, I love you. Kayla, darling, I really do love you."
Kayla didn't reply.
Her mom got up and left the room.
This girl from the youth camp was standing on the platform telling her testimony with tears streaming down her face, as she said, "It wasn't that I didn't love my Mama. I did love her. But I didn't speak to my Mom that day. Or the next day. Or the next day. The next morning, I got up and caught the school bus. On the way to school, an ambulance passed the bus. Its lights were flashing, it's sirens were screaming. I had no idea that they were going after my Mama, and that I would never see her again. It was too late for me to say, "I love you too, Mom."
And with tears streaming down her face, that girl stood before that youth group and said this, "One hundred times one hundred times, I've wished I could tell my Mom that I love her. If I could just call her on the phone and tell her I loved her, I would do it in a heartbeat. And if I could write her a letter and say, "Mom, I love you," I would do it. And if I could see her and hug her and say, "Mom, I love you"- a hundred times a hundred, I would do it!"
Today could be your last chance. Do you want your last words to be bitter, angry, and harsh?
Or do you want them to be words of forgiveness, words of love.
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