A word from a wise 14-year-old
“What do you fear the most… No seriously what do you fear the most? I’m asking this because we all have fears and we all have different ways of facing them. Like with having a fear of heights, you can just look away from the edge; or a fear of spiders, you could kill it or get someone else to set it free. And there are so many more fears, did you know there’s a fear of sleeping; it’s called hypnophobia.
In Psalms 18:2 it says, “ The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of salvation, my stronghold.
What I think this verse is saying is that we can go to God whenever we are in fear; when we need someone, He is there; He is our safe place.
And I think we all have one fear, just one, in common; but with this fear, God doesn’t want us to avoid it. He wants us to go headfirst into it; it’s called metathesiophobia, also known as the fear of change.
Now I know none of us here really think we have it, but who else has worried about the future?…anyone? deep down we know that we have this fear of what is to come, or happen. Especially after this year, but we really shouldn’t fear change, as I’ve said before God wants us to go headfirst into the unknown; a fog if you may. And if God didn’t ask that of us where would we be now?
I think we would be like a sailor without his compass; not knowing we’re true north is. We would just be floating on the ocean surrounded by fog, not knowing where we are; or what we could achieve.
In Joshua 1:9 it says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
In Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans give to you hope and a future.”
To me, both of these verses are saying, walk into the fog; walk into the uncertainty that is a fog that we back away from so cautiously.
And we already have because look at where we are now; we as middle school have gotten past so many challenges, some gracefully but most face-first.
A big example of this is online school, it was one of the biggest changes we have faced. Even now we face more changes; for us year 8’s, we’re moving up to senior school. And you, year 6’s and 7’s are moving up in your education.
So let us proceed to walk further into the fog in 2021. So that we may continue to face our fear of change.
Finally in Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit…”
This final verse I read to you, says to me; God had sent Jesus to us, to make clearings in the fog; so that his father’s plans our Heavenly Father, may continue within us; as a grade and as a school…..
So let me ask you again, what do you fear the most? and what is God calling you to do about it?
This amazing speech was written by Seini from Leigh Memorial for her school assembly. I was so moved by it and thought the wisdom held for the whole of our Church!
Thanks Seini! Love your work. Karen and the Pulse team!
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Karen Mitchell-Lambert is ordained in the ministry of Deacon and is the team leader of PULSE.
