Day’s Journey Youth
Scripture Anchor: Joel 2:25
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…”
— Joel 2:25
Sometimes something happens when we are young that hurts so deeply, we do not even realize how much it has changed us.
Maybe we stopped doing something we once loved.
Maybe we stopped dreaming.
Maybe we stopped trusting.
Maybe a part of us grows quiet and hides.
When I was invited to coach 5th- and 6th-grade cross-country, I felt very nervous. I could barely sleep. I wondered why I felt so much anxiety over something good.
Then I remembered.
When I was in 6th grade, I loved sports. I played softball, volleyball, kickball, and track. I loved being part of a team. I loved running, playing, laughing, and being with my friends.
But then something painful happened.
The last day I played sports was also the last day I saw my cousin on the school grounds. We waved at each other, like we were just saying goodbye for the day. Later, I found out he had been killed in an accident.
He was only twelve years old.
After that, something inside of me changed. I stopped playing sports. I stopped feeling like the field was a safe place. It was like the lights went out in that part of my heart.
But God did not forget that younger part of me.
Years later, when I was asked to coach, that 6th-grade girl inside of me began to wake up. She still loved being on a team. She still wanted to run. She still wanted to help.
At first, I did not understand it. But when I finally acknowledged her and told her she could help me coach, I felt peace. I could finally rest.
God was restoring something.
The Bible says God can restore what the locusts have eaten. That means God can bring healing to places that were damaged, stolen, or stopped too soon.
God did not erase the sadness.
But He brought His light into it.
He did not pretend the pain never happened.
But He showed me that pain does not get the final word.
Sometimes healing looks like trying again.
Sometimes healing looks like stepping onto a field you once left.
Sometimes healing looks like helping younger people, while God heals the younger places in you.
The little child who loved sports was still there.
And by God’s mercy, the lights came back on.
Think About It
Is there something you used to Love but stopped doing because of hurt, fear, or sadness?
Ask Jesus to meet you in that place. He is gentle, and He knows how to heal what still hurts.
Prayer of Repentance and Restoration
Lord Jesus,
Thank You for seeing every part of my heart, even the parts I have hidden.
I repent for believing that pain, fear, or sadness had the final word over my life. Forgive me for giving up on places You still wanted to heal and restore.
Please bring Your light into the places where the lights went out. Heal the younger parts of me that felt afraid, forgotten, or left behind. Help me trust You with my memories, my grief, and my story.
Restore what was stolen.
Heal what was wounded.
Awaken what You placed inside of me.
Thank You for reminding me that I still belong, that I still have a purpose, and that I am still on Your team.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria