When he was a kid, he was the third child out of four kids and was always trying to do things to gain acceptance from his parents. He was constantly reaching out through the good and bad just to see if his parents really cared about him. Did they really love him or was he just another body to feed and take care of. This was a huge struggle that he dealt with growing up because his parents did so much for him financially and bought him things he wanted like those $100 pair of shoes, and put him into sports, but it seemed like just a surface relationship. The older he got the more alone he felt at home, so he turned to trying to find acceptance elsewhere. Who would love this boy and be there to share life with him?
This boy was longing for somebody to just believe in him. To show him that somebody cared about him and was there for him. Where would he find this love? He had no idea so the boy turned to partying, drinking, girls, and anything else to fill this void but became more empty. Hopeless and nowhere to turn, one of his friends from school told him about this hope that would change his life.
At this point he had searched everywhere else so what were his options? Live a life with no hope and just battle through it or give it a shot. So he asked, where he can find this hope? The kid said come with me Tuesday night to our youth group. So that is what he did, he jumped on his bicycle and met him at the address given to him at 7pm sharp and when he got there he was really reserved about this youth group thing.
He walked up to the door and was greeted by what they called a youth leader. This leader began to talk to this boy and really cared for him which was an experience that was new. Was this real he thought? ” Could it be that I found a place where people aren’t just into material things and pushing me away?” “Could this really be a place where I mattered?” Being so moved by this experience he continued to come back week after week to test to see if people at the church genuinely cared about him. Every week, the same thing. One of the leaders would come up to the kid and engage in his life to see how he was doing. This began to make the kid wonder what was so different about these people? Why did they care and really want to be there for him? Was it this Jesus person they kept talking about? So he began to read what they read (the bible) and it began to change his life. He found the hope that his friend at school had told him about and it changed him. He had been searching for acceptance from people all his life and was always disappointed but when he turned to God, He had never been let down.
You might be where this kid was, I know I was because it was me. I found an unconditional love from God that has shined through His believers giving me hope that has changed my life! If you are at a place where you are feeling hopeless and nobody cares, turn to God and go to church, it could be a turning point in your life, giving you a joy that can only be found in Christ. Don’t give up!!!
Fast Forward – Things changed after my whole family gave their life to Christ. Now I feel like they care more about me now, then they have ever before. That is the changing power of Jesus Christ.
