2020. What did that year bring you? Fear, loneliness, confusion, maybe growth? Did you lose anything? I did. I lost my school, so I’ve had to transition to homeschooling till I finish out high school. Bummer. I lost the connection I used to have with friends and acquaintances. I, and many people around me, found ourselves on “different sides of the aisle” if you will, when it came to our views on the happenings of 2020. It’s been kinda nasty. It hurts.
Why am I saying all this to you? Because I’m a teenager, I struggle with the same things as everyone else. Okay, maybe I don’t do social media, because I just know if I did, I would be on it all the time; I don’t know about you, but I would compare myself way too much to others.
I have an idea, though. What if we as teenagers and young people put our phones down? What if we just tried it? What if we were willing to look in the mirror and realize, we’re miserable, or at best, empty. The world seems to be going to shambles, and there’s nothing to hold onto, you think.
Wrong. I have a message for you, and it’s just for you. No, it’s not some self-help book, or some new material item that you can order on Amazon Prime and have on your doorstep tomorrow morning. It’s not even a way to increase your social media following. It’s the way to fill the emptiness in your soul, to bring you peace in the storm of life, and cause you to live as you were made to live. “What is this gal trying to tell me?” you wonder.
Well, here it is, and please, don’t write me off right now or call this a bunch of hooey. Whether or not you believe in God, or if you have any doubts about His existence, that doesn’t change the fact He’s there, and always has been. You know that in life threatening situations, He is the one you would be crying out to. If you don’t know much about Him—or how that has literally anything to do with you—read on.
The first part of the Bible shows that man is sick with sin, and the second part of the Bible shows the antidote for that sin. “In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth” Genesis 1:1. Then, after He had created Adam and Eve (the first man and woman), He gave them one simple rule. He told them not to eat fruit from a certain tree. They could have everything else, just not the fruit from that tree. Well, of course, they had to mess it up, disobey God and eat the fruit. After that, they got kicked out of the place God had put them in and more stuff happens. A lot of stuff, actually.
I won’t go into detail because it would take a ton of time, but I would strongly encourage you to pick up a physical copy of the Bible and start reading it. Yes, it might get boring, but so are a lot of things in life, so keep pressing on and read through it. Take brief notes every chapter or two, you’ll learn a lot.
Because of mankind’s sin, you’ll see in the second part of the Bible, called the New Testament that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth, to “pay” for our sins. Sin is what separates us from the perfection of God, His Son and His Spirit—but more on the “Trinity” another time, just know it’s one God with three different manifestations, if you will.
So, Jesus, God’s Son, grew up as a human in a typical family. However, where ordinary people sin, He never sinned. He was perfect. He ended up dying like criminals died back in the days of ancient Rome. He was crucified on a cross and had nails pounded into His hands and feet, plus a soldier felt the need to stab Him in the side just to make sure He was dead.
Why did He die if He was perfect? He died to appease the wrath of God, to atone for the sins of mankind, and to redeem the lost and broken. We are lost and broken, are we not? The very people He came to save, though, didn’t believe He was the One, the very fulfillment of the promises of a coming Savior! “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” John 1:11.
Three days after His death, He miraculously arose from the grave where His body had been placed. He was witnessed by more than five-hundred people after His resurrection. This isn’t some fairy tale, this is history. Before His ascension into Heaven, He instructed His followers to go and share this Gospel (Gospel means Good News) to all nations (Matthew 28:19). This knowledge, that there is a God, He created you, He sent His Son to die for you, and He loves you, is a bit overwhelming.
What do we do with this information today, you might wonder? Well, if we believe on Jesus and repent from our sinful ways, we can obtain forgiveness and redemption (Acts 16:31). That means whatever your situation in life today, you can find hope in Christ, satisfaction in Him, and not need to chase after the things of this world. You have a purpose in life, and you can know God. Plus, you will get to spend eternity in Heaven with Christ after you die.
You may have questions. That’s good. Start reading the Bible. To gain more understanding about Jesus and about salvation, I recommend you read the books of John, and Romans. Take notes, and try to find a trustworthy, Bible believing Christian to help you with these questions.
So, to recap: If you’re feeling lonely, depressed, empty, scared at the craziness going on in the world—and I get that, it happens to us all—come to Jesus. The answer is not in my phone or iPad; it’s in His Word. How about it?
I’ll be writing more in the future when I get time away from homework and stuff. I wanted this to be an introductory, foundational letter to you. I want you to know where I’m coming from, and how you can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I’ll be discussing other things like current events, technology, life, and hopefully, growing right along with you to be less of a “screenager” and more of a responsible, Godly, young person.
Have a great day!
-Christy Kind
