Last week, I was blessed to attend the Youthtopia retreat that the Alabama-Northwest Florida region held for middle school and high school students.  Rev. Sekinah Hamlin was the featured speaker, but there were additional activities which engaged the youth in meaningful ways.  From my perspective (and I have been to many youth events), the impact of this retreat will make a memorable difference in the lives of the students and adults who were there.

            One of the activities was designed to allow us to discover the similarities we have with each other.  We were instructed to finish the sentence:  “I am the one who….”  We were supposed to complete the sentence with a “secret” that no one else would know about us.  Here are some of the responses:

            -Makes Things Awkward

            -Has to please everybody and feels guilty if I don’t

            -Is Nice and Open to Everyone  

            -Makes People Laugh When They’re Down and Feelings Are Hurt

            -Doesn’t know which ones of my friends will help me go far in life

            -Tries Hard to be the person that everyone likes to be with

            -Has an AUNT who DISLIKES my RACE

            -Loves to Have Fun and Take Risks

            -Is lazy

            -Does not have all priorities straight

            -Dreams big

-Had 2 friends in 4th grade but didn’t do anything mean or wrong

-Suffered from an eating disorder

-Is extremely insecure

-Criticizes others to cover my own insecurities and wants to be different

-Found a soda under the bed and shared it

-Greatest fear is losing people I love

-Lied to avoid embarrassment

-Has trouble making the right choice sometimes

-Has a short temper

-Shuts down because I can’t cry

-Cheated on a test

-Smokes at the age of 14, and I really don’t like it but it has become a bad habit

-Didn’t get told enough the words “I love you” and “I am proud of you”

-Struggles everyday to be more like Jesus

Granted, some of these responses are from the adult leaders, but I really don’t know which ones; they all were written on anonymous index cards.  I do know this, however…we can personally relate to many of the responses, and everyone deals with similar issues.

            I did notice one response was missing…one that we all have in common.  “I am the one who Jesus died for.”  But then, that’s not a “secret”, is it?

 Grace and peace,     Roger