Accomplishing the hard things

Me? Talk to them?

One of the weaknesses in my character is the strength to speak up alone when no one else will. As a young girl I did not notice the difference between me and the other kids on the playground, and I made friends easily. Today, as I confront more and more “the world” and other people critical of my thinking, I have been scared into shying away from challenges that would otherwise help me grow and mature. My heart rate automatically skyrockets whenever I am put in the spotlight or challenged among critical people. Almost unconsciously, I have let my faith and convictions scare me into pulling back, instead of reaching out. Not what God commands of me at all. This hasn’t come to extremes, and yet I feel that it is an issue that should be addressed in my life. I have experienced the wonderful feeling of peace and courage that overcomes me when I pray and surrender my life to Him, and yet it is often that I need the encouragement to speak up and take on new challenges.

All I need is Christ

Dry times in a relationship with God always happen sometime in our lives. Having been experiencing a “dry” and un-passionate time myself, it is so important for me to remember that it’s normal, and it will get better. There’s nothing like a short moment of “failure” to make us feel inadequate or weird. Feeling as if I’m not smart enough, strong enough or talented enough has caused me to feel strongly that it is my problem alone, and something that I must work out on my own. It took me long enough after struggling over math and my relationship with God to realize that I’m not handling this right! I tried so hard to open my heart to God, express my inmost feelings to Him and let Him take control of my life… and yet, I let other areas in my life fall into the “self-help” category. My relationship with God is something I must work out on my own; I must rely on Him totally before going to others for counsel. And yet that second step was not being taken. Reading chapter 20 of the “Purpose Driven Life” on broken fellowship, I looked up and suddenly realized something; a fact that was so obvious, and yet not properly addressed or identified; I was missing out on fellowship with my mom. After so long of searching for the problem, I finally realized that this must be it. I was trying so hard to figure it out all on my own, in a time when God seems so silent, that I did not consider the counsel of someone older until now. Have you ever questioned why we are not pushed out into the world at a younger age? Probably not, because it’s quite obvious; we would not have the strength, knowledge or ability to cope with the many struggles in the world. And that is why bible-study with a parent or elder is so important; God speaks to us through the word, and yet in these times when God seems so silent, is when we most need to hear Him through our parents.

Strengthened at home

Home is the foundation. Without the comfort, love and guidance within the home, our nation would soon and tragically crumble. To be strongly rooted in our faiths and beliefs, we must first learn about them and experience them in the home. Without witnessing these truths being applied to everyday living, we will have much difficulty applying them to our lives outside the home. A strong family relationship is vital to a healthy and steady growth, and we must not miss this step in the road to maturity.
It’s easy to leave the home for a weekend and come home with my head full of new ideas of entertainment and style. But it doesn’t take me long to learn again the rules of our house, and realize once more how silly it was of me to think such things. Without a home to come back to, who knows how far these ideas might have gone in my young, immature mind. Being exposed to the restrictive, repetitive routines at home has not only trained me in the way I should go, but also given me the strength and convictions that I need to enable me to have courage when I am given the opportunity to speak out outside of the home. I thank my parents for setting rules and guidelines for me as they train me in righteousness; for soon this truth will set me free.

Courage to speak

As I get older and meet new people I am more and more being offered, and sometimes asked of the opportunity to share my opinions and ideas. I have also learned that the more people see of you, the more they want to hear from you. Speaking up may just mean being obligated to speak more. To me, this is a big deal. I can get very nervous and scared to openly speak my mind among people that are SO much smarter than I am! And yet, even after years of being “sheltered” at home, I learn to take risks and speak out in faith and confidence. I’m not always at perfect peace when called on to write or speak something, but I am spurred on to do it, knowing that I indeed have the knowledge and ability to speak out. I may make a total fool of myself, I may lose the respect of admired friends, but at least I will have the peace of mind that I confidently stood up in the name of Christ.

Getting encouragement

How often have I looked at another successful teen and said “boy; I could NEVER do that!”? Many times. The thing I have often failed to realize, though, is that all teens and young people have their struggles. We all struggle sometime in our lives with faith, acceptance, courage, dreams, and encouragement. I am not the only one to mess up, blunder around and feel totally inadequate. And so even when I hear of someone like Kyle Williams or Michael Sessions, I can admire them and be encouraged by them, all the while remembering that they have simply overcome their struggles to accomplish their dreams.

So here you go;

We depend completely and firstly on Christ

We are trained by our parents and elders for the world

We find encouragement through our peers to be challenged

And lastly, we become a beacon of light for others who are in need of encouragement, after confronting, battling and conquering those struggles that attempted to hinder us, but in reality were only there to strengthen us in our quest to accomplish

The hard things.

Jennifer

Need encouragement? Here are a few blogs by like-minded teens who challenge us to think outside the box. One thing to remember while reading these blogs; EVERYONE has their own struggles!

The Rebelution

Strangely Normal

Pete’s Place

Spunky Jr.

Agent Tim

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. Phill. 4:6-7