Do To Others As You Would Have Them Do To You

(My youth pastor and I went out to lunch today to just talk about life without feeling pressure from a church setting or parents around. I’ve been venting to him about how helpless I am when my girlfriend tells me she’s having a hard time, as we are in a long-distance relationship and neither of us are of age.)

Me: “I just feel like I can’t do anything sometimes, you know? I can’t do anything to help her but tell her I love her and support her.”

Pastor: “Well, has she been thinking about leaving her parents as soon as she can? She’ll be an adult soon, right?”

Me: “Of course, but neither she nor her family have much money to move out or travel with. She even helps pay bills with money from her job.”

Pastor: “You know what? When she turns 18, I’ll pay for her bus or plane travel myself, if you can find a place to put her up. [Local LGBT+ help organization] is setting up housing soon.”

Me: “Wow, really? Thank you!”

(My pastor isn’t particularly affluent himself, so this meant an awful lot to me. My mom’s said she can stay in our extra room until she gets on her feet as well, and now it’s just a waiting game!)