For several months, I threw around ideas about what I should tell these kids. I looked at topics ranging from godly love to radically living for God to living a life of worship. The one idea that kept creeping back into my mind was a simple one: who am I? How many people remember dealing with this question as a junior higher? How many people still deal with this question today? Well, after speaking with my junior high girls, the youth director, and another youth helper who all had the same topic on their hearts, it became clear to me that God had some reaffirming to do in these children’s lives. But in preparation for the weekend, my life has been reaffirmed as well.
Our human identities are dismal at best. We’re fragile, sinners, slaves to sin, and accountable for those sins. The Bible gives evidence to this identity. I can say that I am not proud of this, but our God had a plan from the beginning to make us into new creations and to bring us back into a relationship with Him.
By being united with Christ, we are justified and made right with God. We’re clean in His eyes when we are one with Christ. We are adopted children of God who can now call Him “Abba, Father!” We can basically crawl into his lap and share in a close relationship with Him. We are new creations who are continually being made new by the Holy Spirit whom Jesus gave as a gift to His faithful followers. We are saints who are set apart for our God who bought us at a high price. We are his possessions. Who is more worthy to own us and look after us? Our identity in Christ is profoundly greater than our human identities, because we are putting on Christ like new clothes and Jesus is profoundly greater than all we could imagine.
It amazed me how much I needed to be reminded of this as I prepared. Please join me in praying for the junior high students who will be attending the retreat next weekend. Pray that God would use these simple truths that I have prepared to speak truth into their lives and refresh their souls. Pray for all the adult sponsors coming as well. Pray for me as I finish preparations this week. I plan to have a picture postcard soon from the retreat.