"I WANT TO BE DIFFERENT"

by Milehigh Ministries | Feb 13, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

 

“Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Cor. 15:33).

“Show me your friends, and I will show you your future” (Proverbs 13:20).

 

Likely, we’ve all heard these sayings before and can remember a time when we ended up on the wrong side of them. This may be especially true for today’s pre-teens and teenagers as they try to navigate a world of wokeness, tolerance, and identity crises. Often, the students we see at CODES (MHP’s Outdoor EDU program) are hungry for guidance and the truth of who they really are; this was case for Jim.

 

I met Jim during my first season as a Cabin Leader. Jim wasn’t a bad kid, but he did keep bad company and his behavior suffered as a result. Frequently in trouble for incidents involving his friend group, Jim was among the students that teachers pre-warned us about. It came as no surprise then when “witnesses” accused him of being involved in a major disciplinary situation after only two and a half days of camp.

 

Although he was cleared of blame, Jim was still very upset about what happened, “I didn’t do anything! Why do they keep blaming me for everything?!” he yelled, stomping over to our cabin. As he sat on the stoop outside, head in his hands and heart heavy, it was clear that Jim was finally at his breaking point. After talking through the incident and listening to Jim’s frustrations, he said something that I’ll never forget, “I’m tired of people blaming me for things. I want to be different. I want to change!”

 

I remember smiling when he said this, hardly able to contain the pride and respect I felt for a kid I met just a few days ago; little did Jim know, he was already different, his admission proved it. Although I did not lead Jim in a prayer of salvation, I know that God was at work in his life that week. He had taken Jim from troublemaker to reconciler, and the first person he intended to heal was himself. Jim explained that he was grateful for finally having “someone believe in [him],” because it had allowed him to discover the truth of who he really was and who he wanted to become.

 

Our conversation ended with some practical advice about what he could do moving forward to transform himself by the renewing of his mind (Rom. 12-2), his actions, and most importantly, his friend group. When Friday came, neither of us could help but shed a few tears knowing that nothing would be the same. It’s my prayer that the hope planted in Jim that week would grow into a relationship with Jesus, and that he would share this hope with others.

-Gabe G.

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