"Our Schools Matter" Week Six: God Intended it for Good

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” Genesis 50:20

Joseph was a unique guy.  He was special in the eyes of his father, which caused his brothers to be VERY jealous. To sum it up this jealousy caused Joseph to be thrown in a hole, sold into slavery, thrown into jail, and in a divine series of events became second-in-command over the nation of Egypt.  Fast forward to this moment, Joseph’s father has died and the same brothers who through him in a pit are literally bowing down to him.  Joseph is an excellent reminder that no matter what happens in our lives, God can use it for good if we allow him to.  

Most of us could probably point to at least a few scars on our bodies.  Maybe it was a sports injury; maybe a scuffle with a sibling.  Whatever the cause, we often carry physical scars as reminders of our past. We often think of scars as physical, but there are also emotional scars we deal with.  These scars can be the consequences of decisions we made or the result of someone else’s decision, but the bottom line is you are walking around scarred.  Think about it like this:

-1 in 6 students have seriously considered suicide

-20% of high school students say they have been bullied at school

-16% of high school students say they have been cyber bullied 

-30% of high school students admitted to having been drunk in the last month

These statistics represent the cry of a generation- and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

You may identify with this.  Your life may look good on the outside, but inside you’re dying.  When we don’t deal with our pain properly, it can blow up and create a huge mess.  

In 1999 one of the worst school shootings in history took place at Columbine High School.  The 2 students that attacked the school did not just start shooting people for no reason.  Upon reading their journal entries after the event, the police found this excerpt:

“I have no happiness, no ambitions, no friends, no love…My God, I want to die so bad….my life is the most miserable existence in the history of time.” -Dylan Klebold

Pain that is not transformed will always be transferred.  Whether we like it or not, our emotional scars will always find a physical outlet.  So how do we heal the scars instead of just covering them up?  

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”  -Revelation 12:11

Jesus raising to give us life.  THIS is what brings us to the point that he can take harm and use it for HIS good. Jesus’ body was broken so that our scars could be healed.  So are you ready for good to come from your mess?  Jesus is waiting with arms wide open.