The Tough Get Going

You’ve looked forward to middle school for two years. In middle school you can be on a gymnastics team. You’ve taken gymnastics classes since you were four years old, and you secretly dream of competing in the Olympics one day. But from the first day of practice, you’re so disappointed. The coach doesn’t like you for some reason. He criticizes you constantly, even though you know you’re better than anyone else who tried out.

A few weeks into practice, you see the coach give one of the girls a big hug, and you ask a team member about it. “You mean Rachel? That’s Coach’s kid. He’s determined that she’s going to be a gold medal winner or something.” Now you understand the persecution you’ve been receiving. Coach wants his own daughter to be the best. You pray about it, and you decide to stay on the team. You’ll just dig in and work hard, keeping your eye on your long-term Olympic goal.

There’s an old saying that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That means persevering through trials and mistreatment. (Note: persecution means the trials you endure that are not your fault. Punishment for wrongdoing is not persecution—it’s just consequences for wrong actions.) “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us.” (Romans 5:3-4 NLT) So be tough—and get going!

Big Price to Pay!

Ella’s parents were divorced when Ella was in fifth grade. Because Ella blamed God for not answering her prayer to keep the family together, she gave up living like a believer. She began to sneak out at night, skip church, and skip school. At first, the discipline at home and school was moderate: detention, being grounded, a tighter curfew. When Ella rebelled and continued to do whatever she wanted, the discipline was more harsh. She was expelled from school and no one trusted her. Finally she was badly injured in a car accident in which the driver was drunk.

Sometimes we don’t like to think of God as someone who disciplines us when we rebel and go our own way. “That’s not loving!” some people declare. Actually, the opposite is true. God disciplines us because he loves us, just as an earthly father corrects his kids to help them live a better life. If God didn’t love us, he’d let us rebel and do nothing about it. But he knows that the consequences of living a life without him will kill us. The Lord will do what’s necessary to convince you to get back on a path toward life. That’s because he loves you so much.

In the Pits!

Joseph’s father loved him more than his brothers. His father also gave Joseph a beautifully colored robe. Joseph’s brothers were so jealous that they ripped off his robe and threw him into a deep empty well. Later, they sold Joseph as a slave!

Bella also felt other people’s jealousy. She had taken voice lessons for years, and she had the best voice in the seventh grade choir. She was careful not to brag or show off. Although no one was surprised when she won the lead in the spring musical, several girls were angry about it. During one of the rehearsals, a coil of rope was left where Bella would be sure to trip over it. She did—and sprained her ankle so badly that she had to quit the show.

What happened to Bella—and to Joseph—was totally unfair. They may have both asked, “God, why did you let this happen to me?” “Why?” is a question that God often doesn’t answer, at least not right away. He asks us to trust him instead, even when bad things happen. Later we may see the good that came out of the bad situation when we trusted God with it. That happened to Joseph. Being sold into slavery in Egypt put Joseph in a position to later save many lives during a widespread famine—including the lives of his brothers and his beloved father. While you wait for God’s outcome, He always gives you the power to overcome fear and discouragement.

We don’t live in heaven yet. Our world isn’t perfect, and neither are people. Sometimes bad things happen. But through it all, always remember: God loves you, and you can trust him. If you’re patient, he will bring amazingly good things out of any situation.

Perfect Gifts

We have all been given good things. Jasmine loved her new cocker spaniel. Hannah loved making apple pies with her grandmother. Michelle loved her new baby sister. Kayla loved having a day off without homework. Kelsey was grateful for her new jeans. Melissa loved her best friend’s laugh. Amber loved her dad’s sense of humor. Stephanie was grateful for passing her science test. Alexis loved sitting by the lake on vacation. Each girl was grateful for a different good gift, but each gift came from the same source: God above.

People often think they make their own good things happen. Far from it. “A person can receive only what is given from heaven.” (John 3:27 TNIV) Every day we have so many things to be thankful for, so many good gifts in our lives. Do we deserve any of it? No. In fact, even though we were born sinful, God chose to offer his very best gift to each of us. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 TNIV) When you accept that gift—when Jesus becomes your Savior—it blesses both the giver (God) and the receiver (you)! Every day God showers us with wonderful gifts. What should be our response? “Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!” (Psalm 106:1 NKJV)

Building Up

You’re not usually a quitter, but you feel like quitting now. You’ve been sick with a viral infection for a month. The infection is about gone, but you’re overwhelmed by a month’s worth of schoolwork to catch up on. There are two projects to do, whole chapters to read, book reports to write, and tests to take. You can’t even decide where to start. You know you’ll flunk for sure!

Your friend Morgan knocks on the door. “I’m here to help,” she says. Sitting down at the table, she makes a “to do” list of each assignment you have to complete. “I know you can do this,” Morgan said, “and I’ll come over every day after school to help. If we tackle three or four things on the list every day, you’ll be caught up in no time.” You smile. With your friend’s encouragement, you feel like you can succeed!

Some people prefer to tear others down, while others build people up. Some have a special gift for encouraging others, but it’s a quality all believers should develop. “Let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.” (Romans 14:19 NLT) In practical terms, what does it mean to be an encourager? Speak only those things that are helpful. Study a person’s situation. What does that person need? Build them up in that area—and you’ll be blessed at the same time.

Calm Down--and Cheer Up!

Taylor didn’t like her life anymore. She didn’t like having a baby brother and complained about his noise at night. She detested their new neighborhood, which was full of old people. She argued with her mom about babysitting and with her dad about going to the mall alone. Taylor resented the household rules her parents made and questioned everything they asked her to do. One thing really puzzled Taylor though. Her new friend, Amanda, had stricter parents and more brothers than Taylor, yet she was always happy and made others smile too. Nothing seemed to bother her. How did she do it?

Amanda had learned to look for the good things in her life: loving parents, a happy home, good books, and good friends. It’s all about attitude (a girl’s beliefs and feelings about life.) You can choose a rebellious attitude, complaining and arguing about everything. This is what the Bible has to say about rebellious people: “These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.” (Jude 16 TNIV) Or you can choose to praise God for his wonderful care, and be thankful for your many blessings. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15 TNIV) Choose a thankful attitude—and experience joy and peace.

Making Things Beautiful

It’s your first weekend in the new apartment, and you find it utterly depressing. You know lots of kids go through a divorce, but you had no idea it would be this hard. You haven’t even felt like getting dressed yet, and it’s mid-afternoon. Your hair is stringy, and all your eye make-up is underneath your eyes. You’ve seen more attractive raccoons. Dear God, help me, you pray. Get me out of this pit of depression! You wait for an answer to your prayer, but what you hear surprises you. Wash your hair. Put up posters and pictures of your friends. You groan at the idea of moving off your bed. You just don’t have the energy. On the other hand, staying this way isn’t helping.

You pray for strength and drag yourself to the bathroom. An hour later, after a shower, your hair is squeaky clean, your jeans and shirt are clean, and you’re tackling that dungeon of a bedroom. By suppertime, the multi-colored bedspread and curtains have brightened up the room, posters adorn the walls, and snapshots of your friends encircle your mirror.

We don’t always have control over what happens to us or what situations we find ourselves in. But we can always choose our responses. We can choose to make every place we occupy more beautiful: home, school, after-school job, wherever! You can also make yourself more beautiful no matter what you have to work with. One simple (free and easy) way to instant beauty is to stand up straight and SMILE. Nothing beautifies like a smile.