I’ve heard two valuable phrases in the past:

“If your Bible’s falling apart, then your life isn’t.”

“You know you are growing in faith when you become comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

The deeper we dig into Scripture, the more we realize how broken and sinful we are, even on our best days. The more we read, study, and experience the living Word the more we realize how much we need Jesus and how powerful His blood is. 

Paradoxically, we begin to understand what a mess we are. Yet, in the tornadic seasons of our lives (sometimes caused by our own poor judgment and sometimes caused by whatever is happening around us) we begin to see that none of that matters because of the blood of Jesus. We begin to see whatever our lot, it can be well with our soul and the more time we spend in Scripture, the more we become ok with being uncomfortable. 

It’s not always fun looking at our shortcomings as a person. It’s not always easy going where He tells us to go. It’s not always rainbows and sunshine in the six inches of real estate between our ears. However, it’s necessary to be uncomfortable at the throne, so we can shed layers upon layers of pride, limiting beliefs, temper and whatever else is blocking me from doing God’s work here.  

We are on this planet to serve our Maker, Redeemer, Savior, Healer… our King. We cannot do that well without digging deeper each day into the Word and facing the uncomfortable moments and seasons. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us “ But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” When we face the uncomfortable, we allow Christ’s power, not ours, to become perfect and create a new thing within us. Not only that, when we take this posture to challenges we face, we are modeling this intentional way of turning our anxieties over to the Lord to our children.

I had the privilege of speaking to the high schoolers and middle schoolers this week about performance anxiety. This topic resonated with many students, whether related to grades, arts, athletics, college dreams, or finding and being a good friend. Two of the most effective approaches to partnering with your children to address their performance anxiety are modeling the Bible and showing them unconditional love. Help your students prepare, plan, and organize their time so they can enjoy all the many beautiful facets of life the Lord has given to them.

If you have any questions or would like to know how to partner more intentionally with your student on overcoming performance anxiety, please email me at Erin.Kay@BenLippen.com

- Erin Kay, High School Counselor