By: Amy Bredehoft
Have you ever woken up and been so streesed out, so overworked, that you just want to lay in bed forever and try to forget all the repsonsibilities you have in your life? A job, sports, a social life, family life, homework, and, for all you juniors and seniors, college decisions. These all weigh heavily on our minds. Plus, add to that peer pressure, church activities, youth group, and time to actually pray to your Heavenly Father who has given you all these things in your life you have to worry about. It's hard to fit it all in and usually your not able to. No one's perfect and we all one time or another in our life forget something, whether it's that big assignment in school, a Saturday morning sports practice, or a time mix up at work. In my opinion, teens nowadays have more pressure than any other generation before them. We're constantly trying to please others: parents, friends, teachers, and of course God. Sometimes it gets to be too much. Suicide rates have increased dramatically over the last two decades. Drug and alcohol abuse is also up. These are all things teens turn to in order to free themselves from all that pressure, sometimes for just a brief moment or, in other cases, forever.
What are you worried about right now? A relationship break up, a big research paper, a problem at home? Whatever it is, we should all feel comforted by the fact that we have somewhere to turn. You don't have to resort to harming your body through drugs and alcohol or physical pain. Wouldn't you much rather turn to Jesus instead of hurting yourself? He's the pain free way to free yourself of all earthly pain. When things get tough just remember that God is up there waiting to hear from you and take away that anxiety . 1 Peter 5:7 says "Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you."
Please pray with me:
Dear Lord,
Sometimes things get so tough down here. I'm stressed out and I need your help. Please help me to remember that all this stuff down here doesn't really matter in the end. Help me to focus more on my faith and less on all the excess that ultimately only pulls me farther away from you and my real purpose in life.
Amen |
