Facing the Giants
“Life is hopeless without Jesus and children need the hope of Christ.” There are moments when I am reminded of this in very tangible and visible ways. This past weekend we had the opportunity to serve over 180 teenage students and their youth leaders at Joy El for our Momentum Jr/Sr retreat. During our session on Saturday night, students and leaders were given the opportunity to write down “giants” in their lives that felt too big to face. Here is just a snapshot of what they shared:
Pride, not to get mad at myself for all my mistakes during sports, not bringing myself down, Fear, Shame, anger, body image, sloth, greed, nobody likes me and they all make fun of me, forgiveness, rejection, doubt, bitterness, Chaos, school stuff, relationships, searching for satisfaction, Internet addiction, Judging other people because my parents do it, Control, pride, rejection, judgment, not being good enough, anger, doubt, pride, shame, technology, family issues, anger, friends, acceptance, health, social rejection, apathy, apathy and lack of willingness, body image, not being smart enough, letting myself up, not bring myself down, porn, unforgiveness, self-worth, judgment, loneliness, rejection, comparison in envy, selfishness, self-esteem, lust, sex, sexual sin, pride, comfort, pornography, lust, secrecy, Fear of rejection, death of others, death of loved ones, bullies, regret, Family problems, Bullying, abuse, anorexia, anxiety, embarrassment worry, guilt, laziness, bitterness, addiction, dissatisfaction, seeking comfort from the wrong people, FOMO, hatred, pornography, bad relationships, bad friendships, family problems, trauma, hanging around negative people, my family, trust, temptation, depression, fake friends, social media, not being strong, schedule of busyness, rejection, not being good enough, critical thoughts, doubt that God is really there, self-criticism, PTSD, seeking the approval of others, relationships, I’m sure about everything, feel like I can’t do anything right and no one likes me, questioning everything about myself, jealousy, uncertainty, Feeling of unacceptance, my character, sex, inappropriate thoughts, myself, being a failure or disappointment, trauma, emotional abuse, Entertainment, I find out something life-changing and it makes me afraid of the future, loneliness at school, decision making, stress, fear of being rejected, fear of being a disappointment, rejection and not finding love, friendships, paranoia, addictions, bitterness, self-worth, fear that my friends won’t want to be with me, self-control, being controlling, bossy, excluding, theft, school, work, life, crime, lies, sadness.
This weekend we were able to tell students that God is bigger than any giant that they face and that He is victorious. They are not alone in where they struggle. They can bring their giant to God and allow Him to use it in refining their lives to be more mature in Him. We are reminded in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory to be revealed in us.” As I read through this list, my heart breaks for these hard issues that students are facing, but I rejoice in the opportunity we have to share with them the hope of Jesus and see them respond to the invitation to begin a relationship with Him.
Thank you for your prayers! You are helping children overcome giants!
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