A Letter to the Teens

As I sit here thinking about each of you and praying to the Father for you, I cannot help but talk to you directly. I know you guys are going through a lot. And I know you're tired of hearing that your "high school drama" isn't real; but I know the pain is real. Broken relationships, loneliness, sadness, anger, jealousy...it's all real and it really hurts. I also know that I am only aware of like 10% of what you are going through. So, if you're still reading this, stick with me. What I have to say to you is important.

I love you guys. It pains me to see you in pain. When there is "drama" in your life, I am hurt. When you are angry and unforgiving and rebellious, I'm not angry. I am sad and burdened deep in my heart. Why? Because I love you. I care about you. I listen to you more than you think. I'm worried about you more than you realize. So let me explain (please stick with me!).

When I hear about your drama, when I see your tears, when I read your posts, I'm crushed because you look like a man dying from dehydration next to a water fountain. What I mean is this: you have "drama" burdens that are heavy, you come to church, hear the Bible, and sit right next to Jesus and tell Him that you don't need Him or want Him around. (Keep reading, it gets better)

I don't come and teach you the Bible because of some religious ritual. I come to you who are thirsty with a big drink of water. You are hurt, so I bring Jesus to you. If you actually trust Him enough to ruin your broken life and your broken heart, He will change things for your joy and for your good.

Why do you like the way you're living? Do you enjoy holding grudges? Do you smile when people who hurt you are hurt? Do you like having BFFs that come and go every few months? Do you like looking back and seeing relationships that burned up and placing scars on your heart? Is that the way to live life?

Please understand that I am writing to you now with tears on my cheeks. I don't even know if what I'm telling you is making any sense. But please, keep coming to our meetings. I will keep handing you a drink of this water. I can't bear seeing you thirsty. I can't bear seeing you in pain when the Healer is standing next to you.

What is far more important than my love and care for you is where I get this love: Jesus. He loves you and cares for you. He sees you lost without direction and hope. The Bible is not mini lessons of rules, but the best direction and hope. I hope to see you Sunday morning at 9:30. I hope to hear your laughter again. I hope to answer your questions some more. I hope to see you walk with Jesus in love and truth, leaving your prison of "drama" behind.

The Father's Loving Discipline

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of His reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” –Proverbs3:11-12

I had a conversation recently with a kind, older woman. “I don’t go to the doctor,” she explained to me with her finger pointed downward, “I just know he’ll find something wrong with me!”

Our sinful flesh has the natural tendency to cover our shame and hide from God (Genesis3:8). We’re afraid of God, we’re ashamed before His holiness, and we don’t want to be exposed as sinful and experience His painful discipline.

In certain seasons of our life, we want to avoid God and His reproof. We despise it! So, we avoid in-depth Bible study, we avoid church services, we avoid prayer and reading God’s Word. Just like avoiding the doctor, we avoid God. 

God does not cause our sin; He does not move us away from sin to settle for holiness. His discipline is for our joy and our good. The Father delights in His children, you and me! Sin is settling for lesser pleasures. There is no greater pleasure than delighting in God. So, we must have humility to be exposed before God, ready for His discipline. He will shepherd us from the dangers of sin and to enjoy Him.

The Christian life is not a one-time discipline from God, but a lifetime discipline from God. So the proverb says, “do not…be weary of His reproof.” We are commanded to love our God with all our heart, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:37). Out of His delight for you, God is actively disciplining you to hold each thought, desire, and action captive to love Him.

This proverb tells us, “The Lord reproved whom He loves…” This is encouraging. Let those words soak into your heart! God doesn’t discipline us from wrathful disgust of us. We deserve that, but that’s been taken from us! Jesus has taken the punishment we deserve, and we are healed by His wounds (Isaiah 53:5, I Peter2:24).

As the Son in whom God delights, Christ took God’s full punishment for our sin (Matthew3:17). Disciples of Jesus are not disciplined by God to appease Him. In Christ we are already pleasing to God! He disciplines us in His love for us to enjoy Him more! God delights in disciplining us to increase our joy! My beloved flock, desire His discipline that you may move from lesser joys to enjoy God more fully.

Heavenly Father, You are good and kind to us, Your children, to discipline us to enjoy You more. Increase our joy in You through Christ Jesus who bore our punishment of Your terrible wrath and has given us life eternal and pleasures everlasting. Amen.