I WAS 13 YEARS OLD WHEN I RAN AWAY—BUT I DIDN’T YET UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS REALLY RUNNING FROM.
The Mary Graham Hall Children’s Shelter felt like a fortress to me—brick walls, rules, separation, and a longing for freedom.
Then one day, my friend and I made a decision:
We were getting out.
We escaped from school, climbed the fence, followed the railroad tracks for miles, and kept going.
That night, a group of us sat beside a fire near the railroad tracks with little more than baloney and M&M’s for dinner.
For a brief moment, it almost felt like freedom.
But eventually reality caught up with us.
Years later, I could finally understand something that the 13-year-old Carlton could not:
I thought freedom was somewhere on the other side of a fence or farther down the highway. But what I was really searching for was belonging, purpose, and a place where I felt seen.
And no matter how far I ran…
I couldn’t outrun myself.
Maybe there’s a young person in your life who is running right now—not necessarily physically, but emotionally, spiritually, or through the choices they’re making.
Please share this story with them.
PARENTS: Watch this with your children and talk about it.
YOUTH PASTORS & YOUTH LEADERS: Share this testimony with the young people in your ministry.
YOUNG PEOPLE: Your circumstances today do not have to determine the rest of your life. The choices you make now can affect where you end up tomorrow.
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COMMENT BELOW: What would you tell your 13-year-old self if you could speak to him or her today?
And most importantly, SHARE THIS VIDEO WITH ONE YOUNG PERSON. You never know when one story, one warning, or one word of encouragement might change the direction of a life.
The choices you make today shape the life you live tomorrow.
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