Searching

So many, teens especially, are searching. They're trying to discover who they are, their dreams and passions, and why they're here. Everyone needs a sense of purpose. They need to feel significant and valued. When you don't have God in your life, people tend to find their purpose and worth in other things. Often, they try to find it in relationships. This is truly dangerous. The more someone tries to seek approval or bases their identity on someone else, the more strained a relationship can become and it leads to heartbreak, leaving the person emptier than before. Mothering, cliques, popularity, drugs, alcohol.... all of these things are often used to try to replace God.

Mothering, for instance, is awesome. God has called parents to raise up their kids to be powerful and confident men and women of God, but we can't find our worth in that alone. I believe with all my heart that raising up a Christ-following generation is infinitely important. And as parents, you play a huge role in that. But if being the perfect mom becomes more important than that, or that's where you find your identity, not in you Heavenly Father, but in being a mom, that's not where He wants you to be.

Cliques are a huge thing for both teens and pre-teens unfortunately. When you're in this environment, it's not a healthy place to be. You lose who you really are because you're constantly trying to please other people. It becomes all about staying in the clique, because you feel like you're worthless outside of it. God wants us to have healthy, growing relationships based on Him. But when we begin to value our relationships with people above our relationship with God, we can't expect to be truly whole or fulfilled.

Popularity is very much the same. You sacrifice your values and who you really are to stay on top. Many people think this is the ideal place to be, but when you find yourself humbled in the presence of God, nothing else compares.

Drugs and alcohol. These are not so much used to replace God, but rather to drown out the pain of not having Him.

None of these things can ever compare to the wholeness and fulfillment you will find in Him. My entire identity lies in Him. I have confidence because I know who I am in Him, and I live by it. This is the best place to be - growing and maturing in Christ.