It’s so strange to think that this was only a year ago, written as my final “words of wisdom” to my youth group, just before I started college in the middle of a pandemic. I'm only 19 but I feel like an entirely different person now. A lot can change in 14 months. But I’m thankful that God’s Word and his plan never change. I rediscovered this recently and was pleasantly reminded of the person I used to be and the things I was learning at that time in my life.
I hope these words can be as encouraging and helpful to you as they have been for me
Share your silence
Silence is not bad, don’t be afraid of it
Silence is often necessary for good conversation
Silence is helpful for collecting thoughts
Ask good questions
Don’t be the first person to fall asleep at a sleepover
Identity - You’ll only find your true identity when you stop looking for it in others
Identity is what you make your priority and where you put your security
“Who has any right to tell you who you are except the one who made you?” - Chris Hilken
You very rarely realize how much influence you have on those around you - you are always setting an example, either an example of something to do/be or something not to do/be
Lead by example - the people we look up to the most are not the people who struggle the least, but the ones who are most honest about their struggles
Tell your friends how much you love them - reclaim what the word love really means
Don’t ever make anyone feel bad about their high standards
“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” Romans 14:13
Your conscience is not enough
We need constant reminders - friends, prayer, boundaries, etc. - to turn away from sin. “The heart is deceitful” - so remember that you can’t always trust to do what feels ok.
Just because you aren’t doing anything wrong doesn’t mean you don’t need to keep doing anything better
Eccl. 3:11 - He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
You are not meant to be satisfied here on earth
Do everything for the glory of God. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” - 1 Corinthians 10:31
Invest in this youth group? Dig deep into your friendships? “Find your leader”?
Community, counsel, comfort, outreach, rest, fun
Whatever you do or wherever you go, do it all for the glory of God
August 12, 2020