By: Carolina Mendez Sunday morning marked a great day for Americans. To some people, it represented a day of independence, and for others, it was a time of spiritual rest. On July 4th, Governor's School East students were allowed to engage in a student-led Bible study. Organizer Jonathan Skinner “wanted to provide a way for people to gather and hear about God's word." Students gathered around the beautiful fountain, or in this case our “well.” The ambiance was filled with excitement, thrill, and curiosity about the morning session. Once 10’ o'clock came around, Jonathan asked the public, “when was the last time you had to fight a battle?” A group of students responded “this morning”, others said it was “a long time ago.” He then explained that “battles are fought over a variety of different things. Countries fight over land rights, and people (constantly) fight over money. One type of battle that we may not think about, however, are the spiritual battles we fight every single day.” Evil is always behind us, looking for a way to tempt us, therefore, causing us to fall into sin. In some instances, we may not even notice. Yet, in the end, these experiences are what make us stronger and help grow our relationship with God. A student was then invited to read Proverbs 24:16, which states “for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. (NIV)” At this point, it was made clear that one should not lose faith after losing a battle. Instead, one should “ask for God’s forgiveness and guidance through these hard times," but most importantly pray.
Praying can be done in a variety of forms. It does not have to be limited to kneeling and keeping your back straight. It can simply mean lying down in bed and speaking to God like you would with a friend. He will listen and wants nothing more than to achieve a close relationship with one without overriding our free will. The next question asked was, “Is there anything you tend to praise for getting you out of a dark place?” The responses varied, but the general answer tended to be “yes, myself.” Skinner related and mentioned that “I know I’ve definitely struggled with that, and that brings us full circle, doesn’t it?” Praising anything other than God for a victory will, eventually, lead you right back into the battle you just won. As Jesus tells the woman at the well in John 4:13-14, “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” In the end, these words of wisdom were a great reminder for teens struggling with their spiritual battles and physical battles. Skinner himself was also scared at the beginning of GSE. He knew he wanted to serve God on campus but was not sure how. Thankfully a helpful TAC came to his rescue and pushed him to start the elective. Many students were thrilled to hear about the start of "Water from the Well”, as there is no opportunity to join in-person worship outside of campus. For those who had perhaps never been to such a meeting, it was a welcoming environment. The session concluded in thoughtful and heartfelt prayer. It was a moment filled with peace and enlightenment.
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