VERSE- Discarding Worry

Matthew 6:34
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

It's easy to get caught up in the flurry of activity that happens each and every day. It's easy to lose track of the hours, the days, the weeks as you keep looking ahead. Sometimes it's out of fear or dread- a midterm to study for, a paper or project that needs to be finished, an interview to prepare for. Sometimes it's out of anticipation or longing- looking forward to the next break from school just as one finishes (I've been guilty of that). This verse always helps me to calm down, to slow down my thoughts and instincts to plan ahead, and instead to see the beauty in each and every new day.

I think as a whole, teens are more versed with stress than any other age group, especially in the variety of things that stress us out and the way they always build off each other. It's a very vulnerable stage to pile on so many responsibilities, expectations, relationships, fears, hopes, dreams, and changes. During my junior year I felt like I was constantly drowning in things to do- SAT prep, AP courses, clubs, music, sports- and yet I always wanted to take that "break-" a night to go out with the guys, a weekend to relax and catch up on sleep, a movie with the family. Add procrastination to the mix and I was a wreck many nights during the week. I would stay up past midnight, feeling guilty about losing sleep but also wondering if I could be any more productive. During showers I mentally ran through a list of "Things to Worry About," which added my own expectations and goals on top of my homework and extracurriculars. I would wake up each morning feeling stressed, as if I was always forgetting something, wondering what the day would bring, how I would survive to the next weekend, which sometimes were even more loaded with activities and responsibilities than the weekdays. It definitely wasn't a good feeling.

I wish I realized then the futility of always anticipating the future, of worrying about tomorrow even before it happens. It multiplied my fears and stress levels when in fact each school day was very manageable. The problem was that I put the weight of the entire week onto one school night. And if you're still in high school, here's a tip that I picked up: the next time you look down in your planner and just groan at the amount of STUFF you have to do, banish all negative thoughts from your mind. Stop thinking that it'll "take you forever" or that "you have sooo much to do," or that you're the "unluckiest and busiest person in the world," or that "my life sucks right now." Seriously, just don't do that. It's a rather annoying mechanism of the mind, but one that I find just makes the situation worse. You'd be surprised how much you exaggerate your own misfortunes. Say you do a school sport and get home after a game, eat dinner, and it's 7:30 pm. You have an average of four and a half HOURS before midnight (sometimes more, sometimes less). If you actually truly think about what you have to get done, often it doesn't take as long as you think (or fear) it will. The dread and apprehension clouds your mind and makes the horror a self-fulfilling prophecy. Tell yourself that you have plenty of time and that you'll be fine. Finish up the day's work and breathe a sigh of relief.

That's why Matthew 6:34 was and is so important to me. There's no use in worrying about tomorrow if you don't even know what tomorrow is going to bring. What's the use of planning the rest of your life, for example, if the world's just going to end in 2012? The point is to surrender your life to God. Once you do, you realize how meaningless certain pressures in your life become. To an extent, God's not going to care what you get on that chem test, or how well you hold up on your job, or how "overachieving" your activities compared to others. He DOES care about how much faith and trust you can place in him. The story from Mark 12:41-44 reassures me, about the poor widow who put in two copper coins, which was all she had. She probably wasn't worrying about tomorrow or how she would feed herself the next day when she gave her offering. And if she could do that, place tomorrow's anxieties into God's caring hands, with basically her entire life on the line, you can certainly start to do that as well.

Take your life one day at a time. Trust God and allow him to lift some of the burdens in your life right now. Remember Matthew 6:34 whenever you are up late at night, worrying about tomorrow and whether or not you should go to sleep or work some more. Remember, God doesn't want you to live in constant worry or anxiety. That's how you get gray hair and wrinkles. Seek God and then go to bed easy, knowing He will definitely take care of you.

VERSE- brothers and sisters in Christ

Proverbs 17:17
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

There is nothing more important to the Lord than love. As teenagers, we witness and experience the lack of love every day. It seems as if sometimes, there is anything but love for one another. Inadvertently we turn to jealousy, anger, disrespect, and hate as small conflicts come up in our daily lives, often using profanity and vulgar humor instead of encouraging and loving words. There are many, many passages in the bible that talk about loving your neighbor as yourself. The hard part is not necessarily loving your friends and family, but the strangers you don't know and the "enemies" you don't get along well with as well.

I was blessed enough a few weeks ago to be able to go to Saranac Village for Fall Weekend, along with forty-ish other high schoolers from our local Young Life group. Thinking back on the whole experience, I realize the thing that made the trip so memorable was not all the fun things that we did, but the fact that I was able to spend a solid three days with a group of awesome people. I got closer to the people I didn't talk to much, I strengthened relationships I already had, and I talked and understood more about people that I saw on a daily basis but never had quality time to really share together. They were truly my friends, always loving and always supportive. The act of worshiping God together, as a group, bonded us in a way that I never want to lose. We spent so much time together doing everything, including eating and sleeping that for those precious few hours I could see us as a real family in Christ, not related by blood by through our common acceptance and belief in Jesus our Savior. I was always safe in their presence, as secure and comfortable as if I were living with my own family.

I saw this especially with the guys that we shared a cabin with. Aside from me, there were 9 other seniors, 3 great leaders, and 6 underclassmen that made it the best weekend of my life. When we came together at night we would talk and share our thoughts without fear of being judged. All of us knew that if we had something troubling us, we could talk to one another. All of us knew that if there came a need, we would support each other through thick and thin. Having that close, tight bond for the days we spent at Saranac was worth more than anything I could imagine. I'm beginning to understand a bit more about God's purpose in creating us. He wants us to be together, to worship and pray together. As humans we weren't made to exist alone, but to seek each other out and build relationships, relationships that are enhanced by our devotion to God.

Now that I'm back, I have a deep desire to go back to Saranac, to experience again the times I simply walked around or sat down and talked with my friends. "A brother is born for adversity," Proverbs 17:17 says. It's hard to transition back into my old life, but reassuring to remember that if anything comes up, I can lean on my brothers for help. I want to surround myself with people who will keep my accountable, who lift God up through their actions. They're not perfect people, certainly, just as I'm not perfect and no one on the planet is perfect. But having God's love in them is good enough. I may feel sad and lonely and detached from the people I spent an awesome Fall Weekend with as time distances us, but I can remember that we are still brothers and sisters in Christ. I don't remember the exact moment, but there was one time during club that I distinctly remember feeling especially emotional about it. We were sitting down and singing, and I just took that moment to look around me, at all the joyous faces and familiar voices... people I felt a deep and powerful connection to after sharing just a few days together. And I realized- these were the people I would be spending eternity with. These people were my family. I don't ever have to feel sad because I know in the end, I'll be able to sing and spend my days like I did at Saranac- with a family of people that I trust and love.

VERSE- Pattern of the world

Romans 12:2
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will."

It is often too easy for us to fall into the patterns of this world. We live our lives in such predetermined routine that we lose sight of the most important things in life. We forget the bigger picture and focus on matters that really are of trivial importance but end up holding a big part in our hearts and minds. As a teen, school is the dominating force that most of our lives are based around, whether we're conscious of it or not. Many people are working hard and striving to earn good grades for their future. Sports and music and clubs all tie in to school, as well as other extracurricular activities. The people we go to class with and the people we are friends with, all these relationships hold a big part of our lives that we interact with on a daily basis. School and friends and clubs certainly are not bad, but in my life I find that they often take the place of God or reading the Bible. I get caught up in excelling in school and applying to colleges and practicing for soccer, things that this world values, but forget the simple act of doing devotions or talking with Jesus, the very savior of my life!

When you think about it, there are a lot things that people aspire to have in this world- good grades, friendship, athleticism, comfort, a job, an interesting hobby... but none of them can truly take the place of God. As a busy teen about to apply to college, I find that I often have to have "renewings of my mind" on a daily basis. Here I am, a top student, all happy because I'm doing well in school and soccer and clubs, but I forget that I'm not the one who can ultimately live my life alone. Take away all my activities and hobbies and successes, and what do I have? Nothing but Jesus. And that's the way I should strive to live- to do these things, to go to school and play a sport and play a musical instrument, but according to God's good, pleasing, and perfect will. To live my life for and through Him, and not controlled by the patterns of this world. Because we already live in the routines of this world, it is especially hard to break free of a certain mindset that earthly things are more important than a spiritual connection with God. We may know that deep inside, but we must try to act that way every day. Only then will you be "transformed" by this renewing of your mind.

VERSE- Material Possessions

Matthew 6:19-21
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21 is a hard verse to understand. It comes as no surprise seeing as how basically goes against human nature. We all want to be "successful," right? Earn decent wages, raise a family, eventually retire and pursue your hobbies.... even for those of us who don't aspire to be rich or famous, a good life is defined in our lives as having enough money to get by and to enjoy our time on Earth. And that's fine, isn't it? We're okay as long as we don't desire to be insanely rich?

The problem is that the verse says "treasures on earth," which does not necessarily mean "great wealth." It took me a while to realize this, but it doesn't even mean money. We have all kinds of desires in daily life, ranging from wanting clothes to buying new shoes to getting something expensive like a car. We wish to be accepted and liked by others, or to have a lot of attention. We want the best grades and the chance to go the best colleges. But none of that lasts. Education, careers, jobs, money, reputations, friends.... you can't even guarantee those things during your life, how can you expect to have those after your life? Even if you haven't accepted Christ as your Savior yet or don't believe in an afterlife, think about this: earthly possessions are not forever. They are never secure. They can never make you truly happy. At any moment a hurricane or natural disaster could rip apart your home, destroying everything you own. All that you'd have left is your body, which you can't guarantee either to be protected from injuries, illness, or disease. You could get fired from your job any morning. Reputations can fall apart overnight. Friendships can be torn.

The only friendship that can't be suddenly torn is the friendship you have with Jesus, who is loyal and forever. You don't need life insurance or second precautions or backups when it comes to having a relationship with Him. That's what it means to store up treasures in heaven, to love everyone and to submit yourself to God. He'll reward you for trusting him and having faith. Only then will you have something that can never be taken away.