Katlehong Youths

Yesterday, I visited an orphanage in the township of Katlehong. Every other week I meet with about 12-15 teenagers to discuss life issues. It has been neat to look at the daily issues and challenges of the life through the lens of the Scriptures. These young people have questions that are so intense and honest. I learn so much from them! Yesterday, the topic at hand was fear. Fear, as you know is common within all of our hearts, Christian or not. I began by asking the youth, “what was it that they feared most?” Some of the answers were as follows:

- God
- School

- Dog
- Dying
- Rats
- Heights
- Snakes
- Fighting
- Ugly Person

We had a great laugh at some of these fears. But, nevertheless they were legitimate fears for each of them. For those who said they feared God, I asked what was it about God that they feared? One young girl said that she is afraid that if she does not do what God wants He will punish her, while another girl said, she doesn’t so much fear God but she respects Him. All interesting answers, of course. I went on to share that fear is a natural God-given emotion. And with everything God has given us, He has intended us to use it for His glory. We talked about the two different types of fear; Sinful and Righteous. Simply put, a sinful fear is having a dreadful emotion of something or someone that God has not permitted us to fear. For example, the fear of man, the fear of dying, the fear of circumstances… A righteous fear, or the right kind of fear is a fear that God allows us to have, and that is a fear of Him (1st Samuel 12:24; Proverbs 1:7; Ecclesiastes 12:13)! This fear is not to be afraid of God, as if He is some arbitrary god who is waiting to zap us whenever we fail to obey. Rather to fear God, is to be in awe of His vastness and power to the point where we revere and honor Him with our lives. This fear of God grants us the desire to pursue Him, not merely out of duty, but more importantly out of delight.
The youth were glad to know that if they belong to God, His perfect love would cast out all fears. (1st John 4:18)

Many of these young people are the product of broken families. After we finished, one young girl shared with me that she was basically ostracized from her family after she was raped. They have blamed her for the rape. Can you imagine the angst that she is experiencing within her heart? Honestly, to say that it’s challenging to talk with these broken children would be an understatement. However, God gives me the grace and strength to minister the truthfulness of His Word. This particular young girl has expressed a love for the Lord and she is fighting hard to love those who are her enemies, even if it’s members of her own family. Please pray for all of these young people. I hope to talk with them in the future about forgiving those who have abused and/or abandoned them.