What happens when a teenager or a young person, who believes in God, finds
him or herself in a backslidden state? To be in a backslidden state means
that one is stubborn, and wants their own way instead of submitting to the
will of God.
There was a time in my life that I wanted material possessions more than I
wanted a relationship with my family, let alone a relationship with the Lord.
Serving the Lord and pleasing Him was not a priority for me. Having the
things I thought would make me happy was my first priority. When I abandoned
my relationship with the Lord, and turned my back on my family, people were
hurt–and these were people who loved me very much. I allowed a wall of
resentment to rise up in my life because I was unwilling to take advice from
anyone who wanted to help me. From resentment a root of bitterness grew.
Because of the way I had chosen to live, I had no peace in my life. On a
daily basis, I experienced pain and confusion. All the things I thought I
wanted or needed only made me miserable. I had no joy and no happiness. I
spent my days wandering aimlessly around from one thing to the next–my life
was empty!
Until one day! I came to the place I could not bear the emptiness anymore, I
cried out to the Lord in despair and asked God to forgive me. I repented of
my sinful ways and asked the Lord to take away my selfish desires and to fill
me with His will, His way, and His desire for my life. God has said that he
will heal our backsliding and will love us freely for His anger is turned
away from us (Hosea 14:4).
There were other times, since then, I found myself thinking, saying, or doing
things that could have caused me to sink again into a backslidden condition.
But thanks be to God, this particular experience is like a memorial to the
old me that died. I know that with repentance, constant and persistent
renewal of my mind with the Word and prayer has made the difference in my
life. Since there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, I
have no fear of making mistakes. God knows my frailty, and I know that (in
this world) I cannot be perfect–there is none perfect but the Father. God
allowed this experience to mold and shape my life into what it is
today–totally surrendered to Him.
Our experiences in life seem difficult, painful, or unnecessary but life
teaches us that God has a perfect plan for us, and according to His plan; we
must be molded and shaped before being cast into our perfect place in the
center of His will.
