My fourteen-year-old grandson Camden has a passion for writing. Because his career goal is to become a sports journalist, he created War Eagle Daily, a blog all about sports at Auburn University. If you’re an Auburn fan, you might want to check it out at www.wareagledaily.news.blog.
Camden not only has a passion for writing; he is also passionate about his faith. I asked him last week if he’d like to guest blog for me sometime, and in typical fashion, he said, “Sure. What do I write about?” I answered, “How about ‘What Jesus Means to Me’?”
Sunday afternoon, a day ahead of schedule, my email popped up with what you are about to read. Whether you’ve lost faith in our young people or not, this will inspire you. I’m praying your heart will be touched and you’ll draw closer to the God who loves you.
As a proud grandmother, I share the same sentiment for Camden that Paul had for the Corinthians:
“With an open heart let me freely say how very proud I am of you and how often I boast about you. In fact, when I think of you my heart is greatly encouraged and overwhelmed with joy, despite our many troubles.” (2 Corinthians 7:4, TPT)
WHAT JESUS MEANS TO ME
Camden Ellis
Jesus not only gets me through hard times, but He transforms the hard times into joyful times. He is the one who keeps me going in life. Life gives us all many hurdles. We cannot get through the obstacles without Jesus.
As I’ve learned, being a teenager in the 21st century can be wild. Our minds are usually consumed with social media and other distractions. Teens in today’s world usually have stress and anxiety quite often because of school, sports, social media, personal reasons, and a variety of many other things. This is not just relatable to teens, but even adults too. As a Christian, because of stress and anxiety, it’s hard to stay focused on God’s plan for our lives. But, Jesus didn’t worry about His life. Instead He went through terrible pain to save us from our sins. Jesus offers hope through the craziness of the world. While personally many things can make me anxious, thinking of Jesus is always calming. Jesus reminds me that He is bigger than anything the world can throw at us.
The global pandemic hit everyone hard. It caused death. It caused worry. It made everyone’s life difficult. At the present time, the virus is still very active. Unfortunately, it’s not close to being gone yet. COVID reminded me of how Satan causes destruction. Like the virus, Satan is invisible. He causes not physical death, but spiritual death.
In early 2020, basketball star Nikola Jokic didn’t take the virus seriously. Jokic laughed at the potential virus that had recently entered the United States. A few days later he contracted the virus. As Christians, sometimes we don’t take Satan seriously. At times, it’s easy to pretend he’s not going to go after you. Yet he attacks when you don’t expect him to. While we must always be mindful that the devil will tempt us, we shouldn’t be afraid as long as we stand with Jesus. Jesus has conquered death. He was scorned and mocked, whipped and nailed to a cross so that we as imperfect people can live with him eternally.
Jesus is the hope everyone needs. Can you imagine yourself not knowing Jesus? This is why it’s so important to spread the word to others. While sitting down and talking to people about Christ is important, it’s also important to live for Him throughout our everyday lives. If we’re seen as different by a non-believer for our love and our faith it sparks a question in that individual’s mind. They’ll be intrigued. Even if you don’t see the results, your display of faith can impact someone in a huge way. As I pointed out earlier, many people deal with stress and hard things in life that can break them mentally. People are desperate for something to heal them. Jesus is healing for us. So as Christians, it’s our job to love others and show Jesus in our actions.
Jesus loves us, provides strength for us, comforts us, helps us in time of need, and gives us eternal life. Jesus means so much to me because He is what keeps me going. In times of trouble and desperation, fall back to Jesus. In times of joy and celebration, be happy with Jesus. Jesus loves you, He loves me, He loves everyone. We need Him to guide us throughout our everyday lives.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:4-6, NLT
