Alex on #Identity

Who are you?
Well, we can start with the obvious. I'm a teenage girl. My name is Alex.
Okay, but who are you?
Um... I'm a high school student. I'm a member of Brookwood Church and some clubs and groups.
Yeah. But who are you?
I was born here, I have one brother, I like Mexican food, and my family is divided between Clemson and USC.
Okay. But, really, who are you?
...

This past Wednesday, Josh talked with us about identity. If you wear a shirt with pictures or words on it such as sport teams, schools, music artists/bands, hobbies, locations, sterotypes or businesses, you are identifying yourself with that group. Getting a tattoo is similiar. Tattoos are pretty much permanent -- and you've identified yourself with whatever is inked on your body.

Identity is really important. Have you ever walked into a room and everyone is in their own little cliques? Maybe it's the Mauldin group on the left, the JL Mann group on the right, and Hillcrest and Byrnes and St. Joe's and Riverside and Southside High and Southside Christian and Woodmont and Shannon Forest and TR are just randomly organized around the room. And if your school isn't represented, it just feels weird. Like you don't belong. And you almost feel identity-less.

This is important: God wants to give you an identity and a name and a purpose. He wants to brand you with his love. He wants to call you his own. He wants you to be his child.
Ephesians 3:16-19 says,

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you
with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make
His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your
roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the
power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how
long, how high and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of
Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that
comes from God.

Let God give you strength and change your heart with his Spirit. Let Christ make His home in your heart. He will live in you through a relationship with God. God will help you to understand His love, which you will experience. And God will never let you go. He loves you! He wants to brand you with his love.
So, who are you?
A child of God. A daughter or son of God. A believer in His power.

Alex W / Message Writer

Alex on #Healing

What hurts you?
When I was eight, my dad left my mom for another woman. My parents got divorced, and my dad moved away. That hurts me. I feel like my dad left me. Like I'm not worth it.
So what hurts you? Maybe you have some family troubles like I do. Maybe people at school don't understand you. Maybe you don't fit in. Maybe you're struggling with a secret or pain in a relationship. Maybe you feel like you aren't good enough. You've got scars just like me.

Tonight at Varsity, Mike and Josh told us about the different ways our scars can heal. We can either put a "band-aid" on the emotional scar, or we can put stitches and ice and a cast on it. See, a band-aid will not be enough to heal our scars. A band-aid could be one of three reactions...

1. We can explode or blow up with anger.
2. We can pout or sulk and hide.
3. We can deny and pretend it never happened.

But reacting like that is like putting a band-aid on a big gash across your arm. It doesn't work. But you can stitch up your arm and wrap it in gauze. And you can turn to God for healing your emotional scars.

When I was upset with my dad and my step-mom, I would often pretend I wasn't upset. I would deny that I was in pain. But that's not working. I realized that I need to face my pain and depend on God for healing. God can help me work out my relationship with my dad. I don't have to deny my pain anymore. Remember: God will never waste your hurt. He will never let your hurt go unnoticed. He can use your pain in your life and in the lives of others.

In time, we can echo the words of David in Psalm 30:2, "O LORD my God, I called to You for help and You healed me."

Alex W / Message Writer

Alex on #Scars

Do you have any scars? You know, that nasty scab on your knee where you fell off your skateboard? Or that blister from those new shoes? Or the bruise on your arm where you got your flu shot?
Okay, do you have any emotional scars? See, physical pain comes from falling off our skateboards or from sunburn or from splinters. Emotional pain comes from other people (something bad has been done to us), from ourselves (decisions or choices we have made) or from things that naturally happen (storms, accidents, stock market crashes). You may not able to see the hurt, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. It's just a little harder to find.

Some people say that once you become a Christian, everything will be happy and wonderful and smooth-sailing from then on. This couldn't be a bigger lie! Jesus said, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Yeah, we're going to have some issues on Earth, but Jesus is greater than Satan. Jesus has defeated Satan. 1 John 4:4 says, "the one who is in you [Jesus] is greater than the one who is in the world [Satan]." And Jesus promises to be with us.

So you've got some emotional scars as well as physical scars. For a physical cut or scar, you just use some Neosporin or a Band-Aid. For an emotional scar, you've got some different ways to heal:

1. Recognize that hurt happens.
2. Realize that you're not alone. Everyone struggles with emotional pain.
3. Risk the effort to deal with your pain and heal from it.

It may be hard for people around you to see your emotional scars. That's why Varsity has a program called "Life Hurts God Heals" to help you through emotional pain. (You can go to the Varsity page online and scroll down until you see the LHGH logo for more info.) Even though those around you may not see your deep scars, God will always see them and He always cares about you. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes..." (Hebrews 4:13) God cares about you and your pain.

Alex W / Message Writer