Hi Parents,
If you are human, then you know what it's like to struggle. You might struggle with insecurity, anxiety, depression or physical pain. Living with the intense pain that comes from those realities can be difficult, even for people of faith. I've often thought if my faith were stronger, I could make the pain go away. But trying harder only made me feel worse when I failed. I could convince myself that I was too bad for God to accept, let alone genuinely love me.
Maybe you've been there. Maybe you are there right now. We are broken people. But here's what I've learned and continue to learn: God knows our brokenness, and God can handle it. God is bigger than our brokenness, and God's love continues to be powerful enough to make us whole. Psalm 34:18 says "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." In the Psalms, David writes honestly about his feelings. Reading the Psalms as our own thoughts and prayers can help us through tough times.
Ask your teen...
Can you name one pain you carry inside that you hide from others?
Challenge your teen...
Consider laying down your pain at the feet of the One who sees and knows everything about us and loves us without conditions or expectations. Write about how you feel about this pain. One of the ways God loves us is through the lives and compassion of others. Would you be willing to write the name of one or two people you could talk with in the coming week about your pain? If you are not comfortable talking with someone yet, consider journaling . Begin to allow God's light and love into the places where your pain is hidden.
Prayer...
God, thank you for comforting us when we're hurting and for filling us with your Spirit so that we might comfort others.
If you are human, then you know what it's like to struggle. You might struggle with insecurity, anxiety, depression or physical pain. Living with the intense pain that comes from those realities can be difficult, even for people of faith. I've often thought if my faith were stronger, I could make the pain go away. But trying harder only made me feel worse when I failed. I could convince myself that I was too bad for God to accept, let alone genuinely love me.
Maybe you've been there. Maybe you are there right now. We are broken people. But here's what I've learned and continue to learn: God knows our brokenness, and God can handle it. God is bigger than our brokenness, and God's love continues to be powerful enough to make us whole. Psalm 34:18 says "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." In the Psalms, David writes honestly about his feelings. Reading the Psalms as our own thoughts and prayers can help us through tough times.
Ask your teen...
Can you name one pain you carry inside that you hide from others?
Challenge your teen...
Consider laying down your pain at the feet of the One who sees and knows everything about us and loves us without conditions or expectations. Write about how you feel about this pain. One of the ways God loves us is through the lives and compassion of others. Would you be willing to write the name of one or two people you could talk with in the coming week about your pain? If you are not comfortable talking with someone yet, consider journaling . Begin to allow God's light and love into the places where your pain is hidden.
Prayer...
God, thank you for comforting us when we're hurting and for filling us with your Spirit so that we might comfort others.
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