I Believe In You by Pastor Karena Lout

I recently went to a public high school with a non-profit organization to share my story and talk about abuse. To give some background, teachers and school officials in this particular school district were noticing that many of their students were being exploited and sold on the streets. Overwhelmed by the growing problem, they’ve asked this organization to implement a program that would focus on healthy relationships as well as exploitation. Educating boys would be just as crucial as educating girls because unfortunately, many of the young boys have been aspiring to be “pimps,” and they are vulnerable to abuse too. So with a good amount of courage in my back pocket, I’m stepping out into this new territory with excitement as I watch Jesus bring healing and justice like only He can.

After I shared my story at this particular school, I began telling the students how valuable they are. “You are worth so much more than you realize. Even if no one has ever told you that they believe in you, I’m telling you today. I BELIEVE IN YOU. You’re going to make it.” It was as if I was speaking a new language to them. As I was talking, several young boys who were slouched down in their chair, completely disinterested in the class, began to sit up and look me in the eye. I could see the slight hesitation and look that read, “Are you feeding me empty words or is there truth to what you’re saying?” I knew every fiber of their being wanted to believe that it was true. That their worth and value far exceeded what they’ve ever known to be true.

Jesus is continually speaking words of life to bring healing to our hearts and to cause us to realize our identity as His own. We can choose to hear it as just another piece of information that we reason with or we can choose to allow it to tenderize the places we’ve tried to protect. When you’ve been pained by disappointment and hurt, it takes being vulnerable to choose to trust that Jesus means what He says. Does opening your heart to Him mean you’re immune from ever getting hurt again? Unfortunately no. But you can be assured that Jesus will be ever present with you in every aspect of your life. “God is our refuge and strength, our ever present help in times of trouble”

Psalm 46:1. He went to the cross to ensure that you would never experience separation from Him and so you would have full access to His heart as He brings healing to your situation.

We all thrive from a very early age when a parent or loving authority figure is rooting us on, shouting on the sidelines, “You can do it!” Yes, I was the loud Mom when my kids were younger, yelling as they were on the soccer and baseball field. It wasn’t about how they were performing out there. I was yelling for them because they were mine. The first time Jesus spoke the words,

“I believe in you” to me, I asked Him what He meant by that. He explained that He believes what He accomplished on the cross for me was sufficient. He believes in His own power, His perfect love, His faithfulness deposited inside of us to be carried out in our lives. He believes we are worth it.

Our part: simply believing Him. Belief is the key that unlocks the prison doors that have held our hearts and minds captive. It takes the victim and makes them powerful, gives our dreams flight, causes us to dance on mountaintops and empowers us to love without limits.

“Then we will know even as we have always been known.”

1 Corin. 13:12

Karena