Never Forsaken
God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5b NIV)
Every January, my family watches the video. Every January, we watch Dad filming Mom and my sister as the three wait with their adoption group in the Chinese hotel. Then, out of a doorway steps a man carrying a round bundle of . . . clothes. Inside the ball of yellow and red is a nineteen-month-old baby girl.
The man walks over to my parents and hands the baby to Mom. The moment the little girl changes hands, her face crumples up and she bursts into tears.
I don’t remember that moment, but it’s easy to understand why I started crying. I had been living with a foster family for a while, and I must have thought they were my family. Then, I was handed off to three strangers and taken away to their hotel room. My nineteen-month-old brain must have been thinking, Who are these people? Where are they taking me? I want to go back to my other mommy!
Needless to say, I adapted to my new family. Now as a fourteen-year-old, I can’t imagine having any others parents. But it’s not just adopted babies who feel confused, scared, and alone. I think everyone gets to a point sometime in their life where they are hurting inside and feel alone. In those moments, people need to turn to God’s promise in Hebrews 13:5 that says He will never forsake or leave us. If people don’t turn to God for comfort, then they’ll turn to worldly things for that satisfaction of being loved. Worldly things promise fulfillment but they never come through on their promises.
Unlike God. God always comes through on His promises, especially the one that says He will never leave us. He is always with us through every trial, storm, or hurt.
Whenever you feel alone, turn to God as your source of comfort and love. Open up the Bible and let His word encourage you. You could also go to a close Christian friend, tell them how you’re feeling, and have them pray with you.
Whatever makes you hurt or feel alone, know that God sees you and He loves you. He will never leave you or forsake you.
Danielle Dodge
Danielle Dodge is a fourteen-year-old girl who lives in Missoula, Montana. She’s in love with writing and reading. She also enjoys playing the violin, dancing, and horseback riding.
Adventure With God
Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that. (1 Corinthians 1:7-9, The Message, emphasis mine)
I climbed on top of the car, lay against the back window, and gripped the edges of the open windows along the sides. A friend of mine climbed up and wrapped an arm around my waist. In front of us, a boy sprawled across the front part of the roof. Five other people were crammed inside the vehicle.
When we were ready, the driver started driving, slowly at first but then picking up a bit of speed until we were going about twenty-five miles per hour.
My church’s youth group was holding a retreat. Eight of us were on a bathroom trip since the campsite we were staying at had none.
We drove up the road, music blaring from all the open windows, night air blowing in my face, tangling my hair into hopeless knots. I giggled. Who knew youth group retreat would be so amazing?
That was an incredible moment. It felt so fun and adventurous. I look back on that scene with a smile. I think God likes His children to have adventure. He likes it when we go out of our comfort zone to glorify Him. God enjoys having fun as much as we humans do. After all, wouldn’t the Creator instill in His creations the things He loves? God must have been watching with a smile as I rode on top of that car.
Once or twice this week, you could step out of your comfort zone and do something fun (don’t forget to invite God to do it with you!). You could go on a walk and listen for His voice or you could tell a random stranger that God loves them.
Whatever you do, know that having adventures with God builds your relationship with Him. It’s like knowing your best friend. When you talk to your best friend, you can recall fun experiences you’ve had together. It’s the same with God except that adventures with Him are even better!
Danielle Dodge
Danielle Dodge is a fourteen-year-old girl who lives in Missoula, Montana. She’s in love with writing and reading. She also enjoys playing the violin, dancing, and horseback riding.
Passion for Writing
People milled about the room, almost everyone looking like they’d stepped out of a book. Actually, they had. I guessed that people costumes were dressed as a character from their book. Now why hadn’t I worn my costume? Ah well, at least I wasn’t the only one in normal clothes. Even though I wasn’t feeling like I was completely part of the crowd, I was ecstatic to be there at the One Year Adventure Novel summer workshop.
The One Year Adventure Novel (OYAN) workshop was absolutely the most awesome thing I experienced summer 2011. OYAN students are very excited about writing and really fall in love with their characters. That first day at the camp was an exciting way to start with all the people dressed up, talking, laughing, and having fun before the classes even started!
I made several new friends and learned more skills about writing. I’m now better prepared to go out and write good stories and I know whom I want to write for and why.
One of the biggest things that hit me at camp though, was that most of the speakers mentioned the need for more teen Christian fiction. They talked about how most of teen fiction nowadays has fallen far away from God. Most teen fiction is now full of violence and darkness.
After I listened to the speakers, I was so ready to go out and write! I wanted to write something amazing, be published right away, and change lives in the world. I realized that my calling from God is to write for teens; to write stories with God-inspired themes. I realized the amazing gift of story that God has given me.
Story is an amazing way to get our point across. There’s an example of this in the Old Testament of the Bible. After David took Bathsheba as his wife and sent Uriah out to die, Nathan came to David. He didn’t blatantly tell David what he’d done wrong. Instead, Nathan told David an allegorical story about the rich man who took the poor man’s lamb. The story made an impression on David and revealed his sin more clearly than a blatant reprimand would have.
Story has the ability to change lives. Teens need changed lives. They need to hear of the Good News and of Jesus. But, most fiction for teens has become dark and depressing.
God has given me a passion for writing, for story, for fiction, for Him. I want to use the gifts he’s given me in my writing to serve Him.
The camp in itself was not the best part of my summer; consolidating the fact that I’m a writer for God and cultivating my passion for writing were the discoveries that made my summer awesome!
I’m trusting God to use me in the ways He wants. He’s put writing on my heart and I’m going to use it to glorify Him.
Danielle Dodge is thirteen years old. Her top favorite activities are reading and writing although she does enjoy riding horses, ballet, and playing the violin. She’s placed in three contests and written two novellas.
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