Kids are SO Stressed!

"I am SO stressed out. My life is just too busy!"  Maybe you've heard that statement from someone you know in the last month.  Perhaps you've said it yourself recently.  There is no question that our lives are getting fuller and potentially more stressful every year.

A recent nationwide survey showed that teenagers are not immune to this stress at all.  Teens say they're feeling the stress in all areas of their lives, from school to friends, work and family. And they aren't always using healthy methods to cope. 

The survey went on to report that more than a quarter (27%) of teens say they experience "extreme stress" during the school year, vs. 13% in the summer. And 34% expect stress to increase in the coming year. Another report compared the level of stress among teenagers today is equal to that of a patient in an insane asylum in the 1950s! We can become stressed just thinking about the anxiety young people face.

In our Point Break anti-bullying programs, we hear story after story of kids who feel that life is so overwhelming that their only solution is to commit suicide - to get out of this life and escape. Kids are also facing more adult level choices and decisions earlier than any generation before them.  Thankfully, amid that anxiety, we at Youth for Christ have the privilege and the calling to share a message of hope, love, forgiveness and peace that only comes from following Jesus.

As we move into summer, we have a multitude of opportunities to live out and speak about God's Truth to young people.  Next Monday, we'll have a group of kids from the CEO organization in Troy up on our Challenge Course.  Our staff are trained to not only guide teenagers through the mechanics of the course, but to help them deal with the fear or stress they may encounter on the various elements.  Again, it's our desire to show the love of Jesus to these kids and to communicate how His presence in our lives affects us.

While you may not want to tackle our Challenge Course, I invite you to visit the Edge Halfmoon Indoor Climbing Gym and take a climb there. You'll also see our staff at work connecting with kids and adults and helping them with their climbing experience - with no stress involved at all!

Thank you for partnering with YFC to reach kids, to tell them that they can leave every aspect of their lives in the hands of Jesus, because I Peter 5:7 tell us to "cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."  AMEN!

 I thought I would also give you a quick peek at our new cafe furniture for the upcoming Christi's Light of Mine Cafe'.  If you're coming to our Silent Auction on Saturday, May 17, you'll see it in full view.  We're getting closer with the cafe' every day!