I am ready and waiting to follow God’s will

Young Faith Essay finalist

By Laurie Nick

Jeremiah 1:7 states, “But the Lord answered me, Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak.”

Am I ‘too young?” Inexperience is no obstacle as a young person may be timid in following the Lord. If we say we are not ready, he will reassure us that he has been preparing us and has a plan for our lives as he knows what is best for us. He calls on us to speak up for him and to proclaim his word as young prophets. With his great love and with our faith, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. This verse challenges my abilities, yet encourages me to become a young prophet just as the great Jeremiah.

God gave Jeremiah his knowledge to proclaim God’s word and his ability to be a model for young people to look up to. God trusted Jeremiah, a young person, so much that he put all of his faith in him to carry out the enormous task of following God’s will and encouraging others to do the same. God calls us from a very young age and challenges us from the beginning, because he knows how much we can do to make a good impact. God never promised if we follow him life will be easy, but he will always be at our side no matter what.

We are not “too young” to be capable to bring change to the world. The Lord proclaims, “Say not, ‘I am too young’” (Jeremiah 1:7) for the Lord knows our every strength and weakness. This Bible verse should challenge us all to do what we thought we could not. If everyone stopped doing things because they are “too young,” then how would the world ever change?

Even in high school, are children “too young” to be independent or know what they are called to do? If so, my life would be much different. I was bullied my sophomore year, and yes, bullying is just something on television until it happens to you. It was awful, but what could I do about it? I was “too young” to handle the situation on my own, but I did not realize at the time how close God was to me. I would go into every school day just hoping to make it through without being noticed, yet these bullies were in my classes and there was nowhere for me to escape. I prayed to God so hard about it, but then I realized I need to stop this now. I was at the point that I never wanted to go back to school again, so I talked to my mother and she suggested that I stand up for myself. That is exactly what I did.

I knew it was not going to be easy, but with God all things are possible. The next day, I equipped myself with a rosary in my pocket for protection. Every time I saw someone who had hurt me I began to pray. One day, I knew I would have to stand up for myself, but I thought, “How can I? I am ‘too young.’” Of course with that mindset no progress could occur, so I had to let go and let God. I put all of my faith in Jesus Christ as I solely trusted in him. It was not easy, but like Jeremiah I was not “too young” to speak up for myself. Although my situation was much smaller than Jeremiah’s, it still took faith and trust in God for me to stand up for myself. I am now aware of bullying, and I try to stand up for others who might be too afraid to stand up for themselves, so in a small way, like St. Therese the Little Flower, I am making a difference in the world, because I am not “too young” to start. I am very capable of doing the right thing and so is every child as we all just need some faith to hold onto God’s crazy roller coaster.

Indeed, God knows what we can and cannot do, and he would never give us a task we cannot handle. Jeremiah 1:7 says, “To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak.” God would never send us somewhere we are not ready to go. He prepares us, but sometimes without our knowing. God tells us we are not “too young,” because we are ready. He may challenge us, but that keeps us on our toes. God loves us all, and he believes we can make a difference no matter what age we are.

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