My team had an overnight high school retreat coming up in the schedule. As we tended to do, some of the sisters and I prayed in advance for everything to run smoothly since many retreatants would be there. We prayed for everything, from the people leading to the youth in our small groups, basically anything involving that weekend. Finally, the weekend came around, the retreat started, and small groups began. I could tell right off the bat that these were some eager souls. Eager to learn and longing for the truth. Whether they knew it or not, I could tell they longed for the Ultimate Truth of Christ.
Being Vulnerable
They were questioning and inquisitive, but all had open minds and hearts regarding the weekend. They began discussing their struggles as the retreat progressed over the next two days. Like wildfire, one girl opening up encouraged the others too. One of the girls, we’ll call her Sadie, had some recent difficulties and rarely felt genuinely loved. She said, “My parents are constantly at work! They give me everything I need and pretty much everything I want too. But I barely even see them. I want them to show me they love me by being there.”
Check out NET’s Discernment Podcast, Fear Not
Isn’t It Amazing?
After prayer ministry, all the girls had some incredible moments in prayer with the Lord. During our next small group, they shared how God had worked in their hearts. Sadie, however, was the only quiet one. She seemed lost in thought and clearly had a lot on her mind. The retreat ended, and all the youth were boarding the buses to take them all home. Sadie came up to me, looked at me with a smile of such assurance, and said, “Catherine, aren’t we just so lucky that we’ll have Someone who will ALWAYS love us?” I looked at her for a minute, processing how true that question was. I looked and said, “ It truly is incredible, isn’t it!” No matter what our situation, no matter what we’re going through, no matter where we are in life: we will indeed ALWAYS have Someone who will love us. That Someone is our Lord.
You Are Worth It All
We have a God who, from the very beginning of time, knew us. He saw us. He called us worthy. And beyond that, He deemed us worth dying for. He saw it all, both our good works and our sins. He saw it all and said, “You. You are worth all of this.” “In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10
Catherine O’Gara
Team 6
