Hello all. We hope you are well despite the circumstances we all face in our communities, schools, etc. For those unable to make it to youth group lately, you can catch up with lessons by clicking here.
We’ll kick off with the song “Warrior” by Steven Curtis Chapman:
Prayer needs continue to be many within our church, youth group and local communities. We encourage all our youth to be prayer warriors, as referenced in the song in the video above.
COVID continues to impact nearly every level of daily living. Schools, work, personal finance and even some of the events tied to our church. Please pray for all impacted by the pandemic.
Sally Sheets had a positive treatment experience and the family is thankful for the blessing in the bigger storm. Continue to pray for all of them as she faces more treatments, tests and uncertainties.
Beth Freed recently got good news about medical concerns she was facing.
There are numerous babies on the way that our youth group have been praying for … Emily Weaver, Amber Haines, Rose Womer and Ashlynn Keister, among others. Pray for them, their families and the young lives on the way.
And continue to pray for the Eia family, which continue to lift up God despite the trying trials Trina continues to endure.
If you have others to share, email them to us.
Samantha has been asking to get into archery, recently receiving a nice Bear compound bow from a family friend. Nervous about shooting outdoors and losing arrows until she improved her accuracy, we invested in a membership with the Buffalo Valley Sportsman Club, which has an indoor archery range open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
On Monday afternoon, we went for the first practice together and had the place to ourselves. After some shots fired, Samantha admitted her fingers felt sore where she had to hold the bowstring.
She soon wanted to stop shooting because of the pain, but we worked through it a few more times before wrapping up for the afternoon. From shooting bow quite a bit as a teenager, I knew that over time, calluses would form in the knuckles … the body’s natural defense mechanism creates extra skin and better protection in areas impacted for something like that. Growing up on a farm baling hay, it was the same phenomenon that protected my fingers each time I’d grab a haybale by its strings without my gloves. Over time, those regions of my fingers became less sensitive and I was able to do more.
Guitar players have a similar process. First-timers struggle with pain on their fingertips when running their hands along the strings on the fretboard and pressing down for various notes and chords. There are actually videos on YouTube where seasoned guitar instructors offer tips on how to speed up the callus creation on the ends of your fingers.
Yes, you can buy leather guards or special shooting devices for your bowstring, and you can make sure your workman’s gloves are on while baling hay, but your body is able to adapt to the activity on its own by repetition, practice and pushing through the pain. Those who prepare for distance running events don’t start by running a marathon on race day … but by running regularly beforehand and pushing through the leg pain, tightness of chest and waves of sweat. What seems impossible on Day 1 becomes second-nature and can become enjoyable after practice, persistence, pushing through the pain.
What are some things you personally have had to push through? Are there certain activities you do now that seemed really hard at first, but now are much easier as you build “calluses,” strength, confidence?
As we drove out of the Sportsman Club driveway on Monday, I was thinking of all that and how, in many ways, it can be the same with our faith. Getting into a routine of prayer and reading our Bible can be intimidating at first — especially for those with busy schedules. It also applies to Christians who are strong in faith and yet tested with big trials and daily living pains. The worldly question of why good people go through bad things can be answered fairly simply through a few well-known verses of scripture:
Romans 5:3-4 (NIV):
We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
James 1:2-4 (NIV):
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Why are we, as believers, struggling through a global pandemic with so many sick, so many struggling to make ends meet, so many fears and unknowns? Perhaps this is a time where God is encouraging us to push through the pain because it makes us stronger in the end. Beyond the virus, what struggles are you facing? Parents fighting more at home? Bullies among friends or at school (when you are there in person or online)? Other areas that maybe a little harder to put into words? Does it seem crazy to consider that God can use all of this for good … to make you a stronger, more faithful Christian? Consider the testimony shared in the following video …
When it comes to building spiritual “calluses” during our times of pain to protect us in the future, here are a few things to actively do to get the most out of the trials we face in the hopes we see the benefits mentioned in the verses shared above.
1. Share your story — and your pain — with other believers. You would be surprised at how many have gone through something similar to you, even if it doesn’t seem too similar on the surface. The grisled veterans of faith who attend our church have life experiences that may be just what we need to hear when dealing with trials and hoping something good comes out of it.
2. Pray. Be earnest in your prayer. Don’t hold back in your transparency with God. The more you practice this skill, the more it becomes a two-way conversation in ways you’d never think. Want an example of some strong prayer and what it can look like? Check out this segment from the movie “War Room:”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD3Tshetrzk
3. Read your Bible. Make it a routine. Like a distance runner preparing for a marathon, it starts small, focusing on building a routine and then adding to that as you become stronger in the practice.
4. Journal your experiences. Sometimes we are so close to our situations, we don’t see the cause-and-effect of answered prayers. Journaling your struggles, your efforts to make the most out of the pain and your growing relationship with God can help down the road when you can make direct connections with the hard work from the early stages paying off over time.
5. Share your story — your testimony — with nonbelievers. It isn’t enough to develop the ability to see the big picture for yourself … but also to take that to the next level. Perhaps part of your struggles were an attempt to help develop your testimony, to touch others who don’t have the faith you do and yet are going through similar situations you did. You can show how God helped deliver you, how He made diamonds out of dust, so to speak.
Do you have a current situation that is causing you pain — either physically or mentally — and you need help to endure? Feel free to reach out to us (John and Michelle Zaktansky) by sending an email.
