I wish somebody would've told me

As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (James 5:10-11 ESV)

A few weeks ago at youth group, Jim Dugan referred to a quote I’ve heard Jeff say hundreds of times. “Statistically about 70% of teens in the church will walk away from it all during college.” It literally made me tear up because that is true of my youth group :( One of the biggest reasons I became a youth leader is that I don’t want to see it become true of your youth group too.

In her book, Move On, Vicki Courtney says, “When talking about the messiness of life and faith, words like I, me and my were often far too personal and revealing.“ (64). My life is not perfect; sometimes I feel like a mess. I find it hard to go to church and see people who seem like they’ve got it all together, when I know I don’t. I think a big reason that I am one of the ones that remained in church has to do with the connections I made with people and being honest about my struggles.  I know there are people at church I can go to who are also a mess, but striving to live a Christ-like life.

In this passage, James tells us to look at the prophets who serve as examples to us of how to have patience and how to endure suffering and they were blessed in doing so. We can learn so much by reading stories in the Bible and  seeing God's character through his interactions with the prophets. He specifically points out Job-who lost everyone and everything that mattered to him as well as his health, yet he continued to persevere and trust God. 

When you are feeling down for whatever reason, Google "bible story on _________" (fill in the blank with whatever's got you down-doubt, suffering, unanswered prayer, jealousy, loss, etc). Then open your Bible and read what Google suggests. You will find examples of men and women in the Bible who went through those same feelings.

The other thing I encourage you to do is talk to an adult about it, whether it's a parent, one of us youth leaders, someone who you've seen at church and think looks cool. They've probably experienced similar feelings and would love to let you learn from the examples of their life. In Titus 2, older women are encouraged to reach out and teach younger women and likewise older men to younger men. I know that the example and relationships I've had with women like Kim, Michelle and my mom have been so beneficial to me in seeing to Scripture lived out. Take advantage of opportunities for you to do the same!

Answer This:

1) What story in the Bible has brought you comfort in a difficult time?

2) Who is an older man or woman in your life that you can turn to to see an example of someone who's living out Scripture?

3) There are people in your life that are younger than you. Are you a godly example they could turn to for comfort, support and encouragement?

4) Take some time to journal about this passage.