Today I would like to share a topic that a lot of people my age who want to follow Christ will hear from someone, at least once on their journey.
“You’re so young; you will change your mind about things when you enter the real world.”
“Awww, there there, you just haven’t experienced enough of life to realize that God is just a fake.”
“When you face a REAL trial you won’t cling to your naïve faith anymore.”
I want to be so angry when I hear these phrases. However, I take comfort in the fact that these kinds of phrases aren’t a new phenomenon. Paul encouraged Timothy to not let people look down on him.
“Let no one despise or think less of you because of your youth, but be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
Paul tells Timothy to not let other people discourage him because He is young. Instead he tells Timothy that He can be an example for the believers. Age has nothing to do with whether or not you can follow Christ and make a difference in the lives of others.
Maybe I haven’t experienced a lot in my short life, (although I think I could probably argue otherwise) but I have seen many people that have trusted God through unthinkable trials. When a person truly clings to Christ through a hard time they almost always come out of the trial stronger and more confident in their faith.
A trial doesn’t have to mean that you get angry with God. A trial doesn’t have to mean that you cant smile anymore. Looking back, the moments that I shook my fist at God were the darkest moments in the trial. The moments that I decided I didn’t deserve to smile anymore were the saddest times because I was letting the Deceiver win the battle. He was rejoicing because I was choosing to look at my circumstances instead of looking at God’s ultimate plan.
So today I want to encourage other young people. I know for a fact that God doesn’t have an age limit on trials. Just because you are young doesn’t mean that you are exempt from hard things. So don’t you dare believe for one moment that the struggle you are having isn’t real. God wants to give you the victory over the hard things. He wants you to fall more and more in love with Him through every difficult thing you go through.
Don’t think for even a moment that your response to a difficulty doesn’t matter because you aren’t an adult yet. Proverbs 20:11 says, “ Even a child is known by his acts, whether [or not] what he does is pure and right” Your response as a teenager or young adult can have and does have a profound impact on those who watch you go through your struggles.
No matter how old you are it is incredibly important to follow Christ no matter what!!
Today’s Blessing:
- The grace that God gives to go through trials no matter your age
-Christy
Blessings in Waiting 