By Karin Krause
Dear family,
This is the first of hopefully many more devotions to come. My name is Karin and I have been going to Delanco since around fourth grade. I am now a junior in high school. My hope with these devotions is to help myself and others grow in faith. Delanco has helped me so much throughout the years, and now I hope to give back with my writing. I consider you all my family because we are all brothers and sisters through faith.
Broken hearts are something I have noticed greatly affecting my generation. I do not mean the troubles that come along with the ending of relationships. I am referring to a divided heart. It seems that is so hard for us to just stay true to who we are. High schools seem to tell us to try to fit into certain groups and go along with certain styles. We cover up our thoughts to satisfy others. I wonder why this is. How are we going to make another happy if they are also disguising their self to please us? It seems that it is an unending chain of masks. Where is God in all of this? He is one of the subjects that is commonly hidden from our peers. Many teens are even afraid to mention their religion.
We all have our own voice and our own opinions. We have to be able to be brave and express them to strengthen our faith. We should not be afraid to show who we really are because no matter what God loves us. As Christians it is our duty to be examples. If we start showing who we really are we will have united hearts and our faith will shine. This is something that I am praying for. The Bible supports me in my struggles with these verses,
“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” Psalm 86: 11-12
I think this is a good prayer for everyone to pray because in these hectic times it is crazy for everyone to give God their whole hearts. This verse leads one to think about how and why are our hearts divided. We have to be steady in our beliefs for our heavenly father.
I love that verse. We can’t be reminded enough how important it is for us to undivide our hearts and follow the path that Christ has set out for us. Praise God for those who are in high school who are setting an example of what it means to seek after God with their whole heart. You are an inspiration.