Get Out of My MindEgzanp

Written by Zyria, age 17, from McKinney, Texas, USA

Have you ever felt hopeless, tired, beat, and drained? When we feel this way it is easy to become discouraged by the lies and distractions of the enemy. It is tempting to repay evil with evil or unkind actions with unkind actions. Sometimes we want to give up and stop trying because we feel unseen or misunderstood. That’s how I felt a few summers ago when I opened my Bible and found James 1:2-5. These verses restored my source of strength, and I received a new perspective full of hope.

Each one of us is going to experience suffering and hard times in this broken world. There’s no way to avoid it. When the pain of our circumstances or decisions leave us wrestling with temptation—feeling hopeless and worn out—we can celebrate. We can rejoice, knowing for a fact that we are in a unique position with an opportunity to grow. While that doesn’t make experiencing pain less difficult, it can serve as an encouragement to keep going.

Are you in the middle of something really hard? Good can come from it! “The testing of your faith produces perseverance,” thus giving you the opportunity to mature and to become wiser and stronger in your faith. How exciting is that?