Everything in its Season and a Season for Everything By TreAnna B.

Everything in its Season and a Season for Everything

By TreAnna B.

In a few short months, I'll turn 20. While I feel extremely blessed to be where I'm at in life—sophomore in college, gaining headway with my writing career, meeting wonderful new people—I look around at others I've graduated high school with and feel like they've gotten so much farther than I have. I can't help but think to myself, “God what are you doing with my life?”

It seems that everyday my peers are engaging in something much more extravagant than what I'm currently doing. One of my friends has become a celebrity almost overnight, another has opened her own business. Many more have already gotten married and settled down with little families of their own.

Then there's me.

Single. Nothing close to celebrity status. Definitely not an entrepreneur. I'm just a normal college student, trying to stay afloat amid all the stresses of college life.

           

As I continued to dwell on this fact, I only became increasingly unhappy. I became easily frustrated too. Not only at myself but at God. I felt like I wasn't doing enough to keep up with everyone around me. Then one day I received an email that changed my entire perspective.

Hilary Beth sent out an email that contained a story about an eight year old girl who had used Write For Him, GGFG's first book to start a Christian club at recess.

After reading this I just sat back and stared at my computer screen. After a few moments, I realized I was grinning like a Cheshire cat. “You are using me.” I remember saying to God.  While it may not be anything huge right now, God was using some of what I had written in a way I never expected Him to.

Ecclesiastes3:1 states, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” While my friends are already settling down with a family, and I'm not, I have to realize its because it isn't my time yet.

           

I'm constantly asking God to use me and my talents to glorify Him. It shouldn't come as a surprise to me when He answers that plea, but it does. Just as with the eight year old girl.

No, I may not be famous. I may not have a lot of money. I may not have a family of my own, or even a business of my own, but none of that matters anymore. I have realized that God has a different plan for me right now. When He is ready for me to settle down, I will. If He chooses to expand my writing career, it'll happen. There is a season for everything...mine just hasn't come yet.

Lean on Whom? By Natasha Jane

Lean on Whom?

By Natasha Jane

Nowadays, when you wander around in the streets, what do you see? Teenagers with their ears covered in brightly colored headphones or simple black dangling earphones? Young men in their fancy suits talking to a beeping devices stuck to their ears? Middle-aged women in cafes, sipping cups after cups of coffee while staring into a laptop screen? Or simply children walking around, fiddling with their phones at the age when they were supposed to play around with crayons? You yourself are reading this on a computer or a laptop screen, or possibly even on your mobile phone (although that would be rather uncomfortable).

Technology has become such an important part of your life that it’s not rare that you see “Twitter wars” or “Facebook terrorism,” It’s also surprisingly common to see people who simply “cannot live without my phone” for even a day. Compare the number of people who “cannot live without my phone” to how often you hear people say, ““I can’t live without God!” Many more people cannot live without their phones nowadays, but not a lot of people can admit they cannot live without God. What has become of our world? Do we need our phones and twitters more, or do we need God more?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Even the writer of Proverbs wrote that we should only trust in the Lord. The Internet, and our fancy gadgets, no matter how amazing or cool they are - they're made by humans. We’re supposed to lean on God and only God; we're not supposed to be at the mercy of broadband connections and mobile providers.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7 reminds us that there definitely are people who put their trust in stuff, like chariots and horses, probably the equivalent of our modern age’s Internet and gadgets. Sure, chariots and horses, Internet and gadgets, they are good things. God gives us the intelligence to create beautiful things like those. However, what is dangerous is letting those beautiful things we created control us. It’s like letting our doll tell us what to do; it’s just not right.

I know it’s not easy to give up all the technological advances in life, and I’m not telling you to do that. Instead, find some time in the middle of your text messages and emails, and hang out with God instead. Talk with Him, listen to what He advises you to do, and just spend some quality time with God. Remember, depending on Internet and gadgets all the time is not a good thing. The only one you should depend on is the Lord.

My Most Unanswered Question, By Bailey Davis

My Most Unanswered Question

By Bailey D.

What can I do to make God happy? That is the question most young Christians ask. In church the Sunday before Easter in 2010, I found the answer to this question. What would you do if God told you to jump off a cliff, and that he would catch you? What would you do if he told you that there was a 20% chance of rain? The answer to these question is the same as the answer to most asked question. You just have to trust him.
Another thing that makes him happy is when you have faith like a baby. Why a baby? Maybe because they trust their parents, their guardians, not to accidentally cause them harm. Maybe because they are so stubborn. If they want something they will get it. Maybe because they are determined.
One of my pastors’ kids was at late night Sunday school, and he was given a coke. My pastor said he could have it in the morning, so the kid threw a HUGE tantrum on the way home. Eventually he stopped.
“You’re the dad, right?” The kid asked.
“Yes.” Pastor Bryan said.
“And I’m the kid.”He said.
“Yes.”
“And when I throw a fit, you’re supposed to give me the coke.” After that he let out a bloodcurdling scream. He noticed it wasn’t working, and stopped. “Aren’t you supposed to give me the coke?” He asked.
“No. Because I’m the dad.” Pastor Bryan said. So the kid stopped. He was determined
Or maybe because they depend on their parents so much. I mean, they need you to feed them, clothe them, change their diapers! They are so dependent!
So all he wants you to do is trust and depend on him. That is the answer.

When the Lord is Your Guide, By Emily M.

When the Lord is Your Guide

By Emily M.

I will quote from Psalms 23:4 - "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

I got a job... I will never forget the smile on my face as I was informing my mother I had a job at a local butchery. Little did I know how short lived my happiness would actually be. I was 20 and I knew I was going to earn something to buy my little boy stuff. It wasn't much really, but it was going to be something nevertheless. This job required that I report to work before 7am in the morning and close just after 8 p.m. at night, and this is where things took a turn for the scary. For the first few days I was able to secure transport as my employer was pretending to be a nice person and let me go early. Then she stopped and this is when I truly learned that for real God's Angels are completely in charge and other nice verses like He will never leave you nor forsake you. I will attempt to describe my road home so as to give a clear picture of my problem. You see there were no cars so I had to walk through 10km or 6.2 miles of coffee plantation. It is an area known for robbers and all manners of bad people with the wrong agenda in their heads for a girl walking by herself at 9 p.m. at night. For two months I did this. I was not trying to pull a bad stunt but it was necessary to get home and you know what not once did anything out of the ordinary ever happen to me at all. I must confess I saw the hand of God knowing all the stories. Psalm 139 says "1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. 5 You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

Our Choices vs God's Choices, By Leah F.

Our Choices vs God's Choices

By Leah F.

You are playing outside, and your brother comes out, and says he wants to play with you. You start playing with him, but then he starts cheating. You are really mad, so you decide in your mind you will never play with him again. Later next week, you brother comes to you, and says he is sorry, and asks you if you want to play again.
(a) you stay mad at him, and you say "no." You then shut your door in his face.
(b) you say "yes," but hold an inside grudge.
(c) you forgive him and go play.
So what choice do you choose? You know which one is right, but do you go through with it? God's choice is always the right choice, but being the sinful humans we are, we tend to ignore it, and go with our own choice. If someone does you wrong, you don't want to risk him doing wrong to you again! But if God wants us to love our enemies, doesn't that imply that we should keep on loving our friends? Forgiveness is important. As it says in the Lord's Prayer, " ...forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." God wants us to forgive. The bible also talks about how if we ask for forgiveness, God will forgive us, then forget our sin. If we ask for forgiveness, our sins don't matter anymore, and they don't count against us. But when we don't accept an apology, or we say we do, but we don't forget it, we are going against our God. Ephesians 4:32 says, " Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." We need to forgive, your life will be better that way.
You are at school, and people are looking at you, and whispering. At first you don't think it is anything, but then through the rumors you hear your name. Later, you ask your friend what is going on, and she tells you that someone who doesn't like you is spreading rumors about you. You tell a teacher, and the girl is really mad at you. The teacher makes her apologize, and you can tell she doesn't mean it. But later, she comes and apologizes, saying that she was wrong. She also asks if you could be her friend. You can tell she means it this time.
You:
(a) say "no" then start spreading rumors about her
(b) say "it depends," and that if she wants to be your friend, she will have to prove she is worthy.
(c) say "yes" and bring her into your circle of friends.
Once again you know the right choice. Whenever someone does you wrong, you want to do wrong back, or show them how it feels. But God doesn't want that. Also, if someone apologizes, you should trust them. Yes, sometimes people will only apologize because an adult tells them to, but you can tell when they really mean it. But you might be wanting to know, what do you do if you can tell they don't mean it? This is a very hard question for some people. Do you just say, "You are not really sorry."? Do you just ignore them, you don't know what to say? What God probably wants us to do, is accept the apology. If you show them your Christian state, you can witness to them how we should act, even if they already are a Christian! But we know that God would want us to pray for them. You should pray that they would be truly sorry, and maybe they will come up and really apologize to you!
One more:
You are at your school. Everyone knows you are a Christian, but no one really cares. Then one day, you are at your desk reading a Bible, when someone comes up, and tells you that your religion is wrong, and you should stop reading, and give up Christ. You tell the kid "no," and he/she stalks off, angry. Soon, everyone seems to be spreading lies about Christianity. Not only is the kid spreading rumors about you, but also us bad-mouthing your religion, which also mean Jesus. After a couple weeks, the rumors seemed to stop. You see the kid who started it, who is acting different. Instead of telling you to stop reading your Bible, he or she asks you which story you were reading. Confused, you tell the kid, them leave. Later you hear from someone that the kid went to church, and is now a Christian. Later, the kid comes up to you and tells you that he is now a Christian. Can it be true?
You:
(a) tell the kid, "no, that isn't possible." Then leave
(b) ask him some really challenging Bible questions, and if he/she gets one wrong, you say he isn't a Christian.
(c) You thank God, then forgive him for what he did.
You know which choice is right, but do you do it? God's way is the right way. So don't let your way win the match.

Trusting God's Plan For Your Life, By Kimberly M.

Trusting God's Plan For Your Life

By Kimberly M.

I bet you've wondered before what you're going to want to be, or do someday. You might have written an assignment on it for school, or just one day got an inspiration. But what about what God wants you to do? He has plans for your life.

Maybe you're worried about His plans. Maybe you think that He might want you to do something that you don't think you can do. But simply trust in Him. His plans for you will never be something that is impossible for you to do.

Be willing to look at new opportunities, because they might just be something that God wants you to do in your life. You never know. He may want you to become a Sunday school teacher, a missionary, or a social worker.

And lastly, be sure to pray about it. Ask God how He can use you to help others, or how you can serve Him. God gives each person certain spiritual gifts:

Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching.

Ask Him to show you how you can use your gifts for Him.

Take a look at these verses about trust:

Psalms 37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Psalms 40:4 Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

Psalms 118: 8-9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

Psalms 125: 1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.