A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35  

  YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE  
 

Teen Listens to Angel Messenger and Forgives Abusive Mother 

The Story:
My mom and I have gone through everything, and our relationship has gone from totally destroyed to a work-in-progress. At one point, I never thought I could utter the three words, “I love you,” to her because I hated her so much. I didn’t care if she died or if I died. She beat me, but CPS didn’t permanently remove me from her house because her beatings weren’t severe enough. But now, I can finally say that I do love my mom.

There was one point in my life when things were actually good between us. After my second summer at camp, I came home to a different kind of disaster. My mom told me she had cancer, a tumor in her brain, and borderline diabetes. I was scared out of my mind.

This ruined the few times we were actually happy with one another. My mom told me that she had actually prayed about the situation and was at peace with whatever happened to her. She talked to me about who I would stay with if she died as if we were talking about the weather. I exceeded my breaking point. I hated her for being calm about leaving me when I have no other family. My mask of anger concealed the emotions I didn’t want to face. I became a hideous person who was angry at everything.

One day after my mom and I had fought, I was balling. My friend came to comfort me. But she’s blunt and doesn’t care if she hurts my feelings if she thinks I need help because she’s gone through so much more than I have that my life looks good in comparison to hers. So she told me: “You are going to go to your mom and hug her and say, ‘I love you, and I am sorry.’ It doesn’t matter if she’s wrong, and you and everyone around you know you’re right. Even though my mom kicked me out and I was homeless, I still love her. I believe what it says in the Bible – to ‘honor your mother and father,’ not to honor your parents only when they’re right, but just to honor them. So you’re going to do what I’m asking. Please, just do it for me.”

I argued by saying that I hated my mother, and she was wrong, and I didn’t care if she was dead. But my friend said, “Even if you don’t mean it, and you think badly of her, you have to trust me.” So I did exactly what she said: I hugged my mom and said, “I love you, and am sorry.” My mom broke down, saying she was scared and needed my support.

A week later, we got the test results indicating that my mom’s tumor was very small and was controllable with medicine, so she’d live a long time. I was overjoyed because as many times as I’ve said I hate her, I still did love her.

The Lessons from Listening to the Angel:
I am a stubborn person with a tough shell because I’ve been broken inside. So I didn’t hear God when He was yelling the answer I was praying for. Sometimes I think He sends us these angel messages through people we hold close in our hearts and care deeply for because those are the people who can actually get through to us. They can often help us see what’s been there all along and open our minds to God’s work. My friend carried the angel’s message to me.

I know that everyone has his or her own family issues. But I’ve realized that we can’t let the problems get to the point when death is at hand, when it’s too late to make peace with a family member. Whenever we feel like we can’t forgive someone, we can turn to Jesus. I always think of the crucifixion and how Jesus forgave those who killed him. If Jesus can forgive, so can I.

Everyone does have good inside. Sometimes it’s hard to see the good in people because we’re so blinded by how they’ve wronged us. But being mad at them won’t make them better or us happier. But loving will. Love has the power to bless the whole world!

Through my experience with my mom, I’ve learned:

  • Don’t wait until it’s too late.
  • Start making peace with yourself now and start by forgiving yourself.
  • Don’t let yourself waste moments of happiness because you’re too busy being mad.
  • Live your life without regret.
  • Forgive as Jesus has and would!!!

Find out how this teen finally could forgive her mom. Jesus’ example helped her.

 
 

-- age 13

 
     
 

The world needs you -- your ideas, your compassion, and your spiritual outlook. It’s never too late to start contributing.

  • How have you made a positive difference in people’s lives – in your family, at your school, at church, in the community, and in the world?
  • How have others positively impacted your life -- in little or big ways, in everyday ways, or in spiritual development?

We’d like to hear. Please send us your experiences, ideas, or suggestions

 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

Email us and share how you have made a difference.

We wiill post as many of your experiences and ideas as possible each month.

 
 
 

Previous
Making a Difference Topics

 
  Handling Bullying  
  Practice True Religion  
  Meeting a Communities Spiritual Needs  
  The Playground Good Samaritan  
  The Power of Light  
  Supporting Your Community  
  See Friends – Not Habits!  
  Have Confidence in God  
  Be Yourself – Don’t Worry about Popularity!  
  Free Yourself
or Friends
from Drugs
 
  Seeing God Expressed  
  The Golden Rule  
  Forgive! The Bible Helps Us  
  Let God and Parents Help  
  Love’s Real Valentine  
  Judge Not  
  Appreciate Family  
  Cast Your Vote Everyday  
  Making Ethical Decisions  
  Persevere with God  
  Prayerful Preparation  
  Students Inspire Speaker  
  Finding a Father Figure  
  Finding a Home for her Child  
  Fear Conquered with the Help of a Friend  
  Inspiring the Spark Within  
  Stopping Gossip  
  Stand Up for What's Right  
  On the Home Front  
  Dave's Burning Bush  
  Sharing Home  
  Picking Persimmons  
  Towing stranded boaters  
  Stranded on the road to the airport -- a stranger made the difference  
  Celebrate Fathers  
  Celebrate Mothers  
  Practical ways to make “brotherly love continue”  
  Do God’s Will -- Love!  
  Commit Daily to Progress  
  Pray for our Governments World-Wide  
  Speak with Love  
  Ready, set … SHINE! Give your all!  
  Confidence  
  Include Others  
  Be happy no matter what. Do everything with joy!  
  Spread Freedom: Make Church, Christ, Central by Loving  
  Right Attitudes = Right Actions = Making a Difference  
  Write Letters about Your Life  
  Participate in the Resurrection  
  Step out from the crowd; be yourself  
  Express Creativity - learn the creative process  
  Make 3 Days Criticism Free  
  Find the Blessings this Christmas  
  Make November Kindness Month  
 

Help those affected by the Hurricanes

 
  September’s School Survival Guide  
  Like Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, let’s write our own Recipes for Life and follow them.  
  Read Bible magazines, and gain spiritual insight on dating, individuality, community, music, and more.  
  We can have
the courage to stand up for
right even if we’re scared;
do what’s right even if it’s not cool; see people for who they are.
 
  Pay attention to Joel and Amos; trust God amidst destruction; be humble; change lives  
  Support tsunami relief and pray  
  Be a leader
like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach,
Abed-nego
 
  Take care of our Earth. Make the best choices.  
  Live the Golden Rule daily by loving others  
  Express Christmas love -- love yourself
and others
 
  Write thank you letters  
  Strive for wisdom; start "wisdom circles."  
  Pray for the world; write and share a psalm  
  Stand up for yourself, as Job did; be a good friend.  
  Be an active volunteer in your community  
  Be like Jabez-pray big, and expect your prayers to be answered.  
  Be a prophet like Elijah and Elisha; stand up for God  
  Modern Day Psalms  
  Like Samuel and Nathan, you can serve God and help others do right.  
  Like David, you can defeat "Goliaths."  
  Like Ruth, you can build a new life with God.  
  Put the "Christ" into Christmas and everyday. Help de-stress your parents.  
  Like Gideon, you can help free others. Share your gratitude.  
  Like Joshua, you can be a principled leader  
  Like Moses, you can defeat terrorism  
  Like Moses, you can use the commandments daily  
  Like Moses, you can free yourselves and others  
  Like Joseph, you can make the best of tough situations  
  Like Jacob, you can forgive and ask forgiveness  
  Like Jesus, you can serve others with humility
 
  Like Isaac and Rebekah,you can strengthen all relationships
 
  Like Abraham, you can be a peacemaker, friend, and healer
 
  Simple things you can do to help make a difference in others' lives  
 
 
     
   
     
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