Dear Teenager: There is Hope

Dear Teenager,
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I know.
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Life can be crushing. There’s so much to deal with in Jr High and High School. Friends, grades, pressures, set backs. You work hard and the world calls you lazy. You teeter totter between growth and ambition, and vulnerability and rejection- and MUCH of adolescence is spent in the crossfire of others people’s pain. 
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I’ve been there. 
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Some things get better as you get older- but I’ll be straight with you- a lot of it doesn’t. The only thing that truly helps is Jesus. And the sooner you learn that, the better. Teenager or adult, Jesus is the only way for solid, grounding peace. 
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But, you need to understand what this really means. Some people think if they keep all of His commandments that their life will be easy. That bad things won’t happen to them. 
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This is not true. 
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Carlfred Broderick said, “The gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain. It is resource in event of pain.” So cling to your resource! 

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Yes, friends may betray you, teachers may be unfair to you, parents may not understand you. But He is the One who is always on your side. He is loyal. He is just. He understands you perfectly. Don’t turn your back on Him because you’re mad at someone else. 
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On this day, several centuries ago, Jesus was greeted by excited crowds in Jerusalem. They shouted and danced and clapped and cried to see Him. Why? Because, HOPE. 
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There is ALWAYS hope in Him. Let Him reign triumphant in your life, and I promise, He will make every wrong right someday.