Latest / Jo Watson: Unfiltered Faith / 16, and still searching
Transcript
- Jo Watson: Welcome back to Unfiltered Faith. I'm Joe Watson, and it's time to breathe. Time to slow down. Time to let your shoulders drop, and time to step into the sanctuary. Not the sanctuary we're all so familiar with, but the one that God is building inside you. This is the place where we don't sugarcoat the struggle, where we don't hide the questions. And where we don't pretend that faith is always neat and tidy. Today, I want to speak directly to the ones who feel caught between belief and confusion. Caught between loving God and wondering why life feels so heavy. Caught between wanting to be seen and feeling invisible in spaces that should feel safe. If that's you, Pull up a seat. You're not alone. And you're not crazy for asking the questions you're asking. We received a letter from a young listener, 16 years old, who said something so honest, so raw, so necessary that I knew we needed to pause everything and respond. Let me read their words to you. Dear Pastor Joe, I'm sixteen and I'm going to be real. I believe in God, but I still have questions. Why do people say just trust God when I'm barely holding it together? Why does church want young people there but not always want to hear what we actually think? I don't need another lecture. I need a place where I can say I don't know I'm mad or I'm struggling without being judged. Talk to us, not at us, because maybe we're not done with God, maybe we're just done pretending. Sign sixteen and still searching. First, thank you. Thank you for your letter. Thank you for trusting us with your truth. And thank you for saying what so many young people feel but don't know how to express. Let me tell you something with all the pastoral honesty I have. You are allowed to have questions. You are allowed to be frustrated. You are allowed to not have it all figured out at sixteen. Jesus never rebuked honest questions, he welcomed them. He sat with doubters, he walked with the confused, and he listened to the ones who felt unseen. When Thomas said I don't believe unless I see it, Jesus didn't shame him. He met him in the doubt John chapter four. twenty twenty seven And when the Father cried out, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief, Jesus didn't reject him, he healed his child anyway. Mark chapter nine verse twenty four. You're not failing God because you're still searching. Searching is how faith grows, searching is how identity forms, and Searching is how you learn what's real and what's just religious noise. And you're right, sometimes adults talk at young people instead of to them. Sometimes the church wants your presence but not your perspective. But hear me clearly. Your voice matters. Your questions matter. Your experience matters. Matters and God is not intimidated by your honesty. He's drawn to it. To every parent, pastor, leader, mentor, and believer listening, we cannot keep asking young people to show up if we refuse to show up for them. We cannot Demand their attendance while ignoring their reality. And we cannot preach at them and call it discipleship. We cannot silence them and call it order. And we cannot dismiss their pain and call it immaturity. Jesus didn't do ministry to people. He did ministry with people. He walked with them. He asked questions. He listened. He invited them into conversations that transform their lives. If we want young people to trust God, we must first show them what it looks like to trust them. And to the teens listening, you don't have to pretend. You don't have to perform. You don't have to hide your questions to be loved by God. Psalm chapter thirty four verse eighteen says The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, not the perfect, not the polished, not the ones who have it all together, the brokenhearted, the overwhelmed, the confused and the searching. And right now, God is close to you right now, exactly as you are. I want to stop right here and take a moment to pray for the listener who wrote this letter and for every young person who is struggling to believe they are part of a church family. Let's pray. Father, tonight we lift up every young person who feels unhurt, unseen, or misunderstood. We pray for the ones who believe but still have questions. The ones who want you but don't know how to navigate the noise. The ones who are tired of pretending. Draw near to them the way your word promises. Give them space to breathe, space to grow, space to ask, space to feel. Surround them with leaders who will listen, communities that care, and friends who speak life. And remind them, deepen their spirit, that you are not fragile, and their questions do not threaten you. You welcome them. You hold them and you walk with them. In Christ Jesus' name. Amen. I speak this over every young listener. You will not lose your faith. Your faith is being built. You will not drown in your questions. Your questions will lead you to truth. You will not be dismissed. God is raising your voice for such a time as this. You are not done with God and God is not done with you. The authenticity you're fighting for will become the testimony that sets others free. To sixteen and still searching, and to every young heart listening, this space is for you. Your questions are welcome here. Your honesty is safe here, and your journey matters here. And as long as you keep showing up with your real self, God will keep showing up with his real love. So stay connected, stay honest, stay searching. Because the God you're looking for is already looking at you. And if you're carrying a weight that feels too heavy to hold, please remember that this Podcast is not a substitute for professional therapy or pastoral care. Reach out. Get the support you need. You deserve that kind of care. And if you would like to send in a question or share a story with Unfiltered Faith, you can reach us at Joe at Unfiltered Faithpod dot com. We would love to hear from you. Your testimonies and your experiences matter. They help others grow, they encourage weary hearts, and they draw people closer to Jesus. Until next time, family, unfiltered faith, God is moving, so stay ready and to God be the