I was an only child for almost five years, and I hung out with adults all the time. I guess those five years really impacted me because as a 16 year old I'd almost rather hang out with adults. Does that sound weird? It's not to me!
Some of the people that I love most in this world are adults, some really amazing friends of mine are adults! You know what makes these adults special? They don't treat me like a teenager; they talk to me like an adult, and that makes me feel really good! They don't look down on me, doubt me, or judge me because I'm only 16. They love me, have serious conversations with me, and trust me.
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity
{1 Timothy 4:12}
The Bible tells us that even though we are young, we can accomplish some pretty amazing things. We aren't stupid or unable or too young. We are the future of Christ's church, and as such we are called to be examples to those around us.
My favorite thing about us teenagers is that we're seen as the underdogs! Nobody really thinks that we can accomplish much, but they are wrong! We have the chance to surprise them, prove them wrong, and give them a newfound respect for teens. We can do so much more than people think. We're pretty gosh darn great.
God has blessed us with special and unique gifts, and it is up to us to use them to glorify Him. If we do, we are doing exactly what God designed us to do--bless, encourage, and love others. I can't stress enough how important YOU are! Don't let adults tell you that you can't because you definitely can! You have so much more power than you think, and you have to know that!
Don't go through your teenage years in the background because you feel like you can't do something worthwhile. If you're a wallflower you're going to miss you on the amazing things that God wants to do with your life!
Before I publish this I want to get sappy: thank you to those who don't look down on me, who treat me as if I have something to offer, who love me like crazy, who trust me secrets and keep mine, who bless me every single day, who call me on their way home from work, and take me to dinner, who let me pay for their frozen yogurt, who sit in the car with me for an hour just to chat, who tell me that they love me like a sister, who hold me when I cry, who laugh with me when I laugh, and who pray for me when I feel like things can't get any worse. You are why I'm writing this, and why I continue to believe that I can do anything.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Be Still
Sometimes, we have to do things that are really hard in order to open ourselves up to bigger and better things; we have to close one door, so that God can open another. I had to do that recently, and it wasn't fun, but when is it ever fun?
Now I won't go into detail, but the gist is this: I had to close a door, a door that I've been scared to close for awhile, and I wonder, why did I wait so long take action? The answer is... I was (and still am) terrified. I'm scared of the unknown; I'm scared because I don't know what God is going to do, or how long it is going to take. I'm scared of being lonely, I'm scared that things won't get better.
When I look toward the future I see that closing that door was the easy part, the hard part is waiting. I'm not patient. I want instant gratification. I want everything to be amazing and wonderful and perfect. But even though that's what I want, that's probably not how it's going to go down. God does not work the way I want which, if I'm completely and absolutely honest, aggravates me! I want things to happen when I'm ready for them to happen, when I feel like it's time.
My sense of time is completely different from God's sense of time. He does things when He thinks it's best for me. When He knows I'm ready. And that may be tomorrow, that may be next week, or that may be next year. I don't know, and that's what I'm scared of...but if I really want him to do something in my life, I guess I'll just have to wait.
"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
{Exodus 14:14}
That's exactly what I need to learn to do: BE STILL. Be still and wait, be still and be content, be still and be trusting. The Lord is fighting in my favor; He's working it all out for my good, and I just need to be still. And boy, that is definitely a challenge, and I'm going to have a work really hard at waiting, and there will be tears, but God is going to make things so good, and if that's what I want then I'm happy to wait.
Now I won't go into detail, but the gist is this: I had to close a door, a door that I've been scared to close for awhile, and I wonder, why did I wait so long take action? The answer is... I was (and still am) terrified. I'm scared of the unknown; I'm scared because I don't know what God is going to do, or how long it is going to take. I'm scared of being lonely, I'm scared that things won't get better.
When I look toward the future I see that closing that door was the easy part, the hard part is waiting. I'm not patient. I want instant gratification. I want everything to be amazing and wonderful and perfect. But even though that's what I want, that's probably not how it's going to go down. God does not work the way I want which, if I'm completely and absolutely honest, aggravates me! I want things to happen when I'm ready for them to happen, when I feel like it's time.
My sense of time is completely different from God's sense of time. He does things when He thinks it's best for me. When He knows I'm ready. And that may be tomorrow, that may be next week, or that may be next year. I don't know, and that's what I'm scared of...but if I really want him to do something in my life, I guess I'll just have to wait.
"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
{Exodus 14:14}
That's exactly what I need to learn to do: BE STILL. Be still and wait, be still and be content, be still and be trusting. The Lord is fighting in my favor; He's working it all out for my good, and I just need to be still. And boy, that is definitely a challenge, and I'm going to have a work really hard at waiting, and there will be tears, but God is going to make things so good, and if that's what I want then I'm happy to wait.
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