Don’t give up. Jesus didn’t.

Life isn’t easy. We know that. You know that. You’re up against things every day that make you feel like you can’t handle life. Tests. Mean teachers. Cancer. Tough times. But we have an example to follow. Jesus. Our Messiah was up against some crazy stuff during His life on earth: some people loved Him; others hated Him. He lived and worked and breathed on this dirty earth of ours while no doubt missing heaven. He was misunderstood, even by His closest friends. People tried to kill Him, and they succeeded because the Son of God willingly laid down His life and endured the pain and torture of lashings and crucifixion.

While what we go through may not be as bloody or as earth-shattering as what Christ went through, it is still big to us. School, relationships, what to wear, how to figure out where God’s will is going to take you . . . it all seems overwhelming, doesn’t it? Aren’t you tempted to just give up sometimes?

If you’ve read today’s devotion, then you’ve thought about parts of your life where you need to stand strong. (If you haven’t read it, take some time to and think about areas where you need to stand firm.) What are they?

Maybe you need to resist the urge to cheat, even when all of your friends are doing it. Maybe you need to quit thinking that the sexual stuff you’re doing with your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t count because it isn’t actually sex. Or maybe you need to quit making your sport an idol in your life.

But as you get to work on all of your issues, it’s so easy to become caught up in your own life and forget that there’s a whole world out there of hurting people who need your help.

But one girl didn’t forget. Katie, who was popular at her Tennessee high school and your typical teenage girl, felt a tug on her heart to serve the people of Africa. So Katie volunteered for a short stint at an orphanage in Uganda the summer after her senior year and couldn’t get the people out of her heart. She tried coming back to the States to go to college, like her parents wanted her to, but knew that she belonged in Africa, taking care of those who couldn’t help themselves.

Today, she’s still there. And she’s adopted children and brought them into the house where she lives in Uganda. She’s 20 years old, and she has 14 young children. Yes, you read that correctly. At 20 years of age, she is mom to 14 little girls. In addition to raising 14 girls, she feeds hundreds of children every week and takes care of their medical needs. I’m amazed at what Katie has allowed the Lord to do through her.

Do you think she ever wants to give up? I’m sure there are moments when she’s so exhausted that she can’t see straight, when the number of kids who need medicine and food seems overwhelming. But she depends on Christ, who knows what it’s like to see a need so great that He was willing to give everything He had to meet it. And that must be what keeps her going.

So how will you stand strong? Whether it’s in the classroom at school, at home, at the party on Friday night, or in a country across the globe, Christ calls you to stand firm in the faith. Will you?


Read more about Katie’s amazing story and ministry here.