This post is adapted from Words of Strength and Promise: Devotions for Youth. Read below for a devotion written by Juliana Shults.

A few weeks ago, someone told me I was kind and gentle.

I literally just stared at the person, unable to believe what I had just been called—but probably not for the reason you expect.

Let me explain by going back a few years.

This post is an excerpt from my newest Bible study, Shine: Sparkling with God’s Love.

In my life, I’ve struggled with real hope-crushing sadness. Not just the kind of sadness that comes from something hard that’s happened, but the kind that shifts my whole outlook on life.

This post is an excerpt from my newest Bible study, Shine: Sparkling with God’s Love.

 Toxic friendships can cause so much darkness in your world. They can make you feel angry, frustrated, vengeful. How can you, as a young Christian woman, deal with these friendships in a way that reflects God’s love? Here is an (incomplete) list of some toxic friendships and how you can rely on God to help you share His love with friends who need it.

So, how are those New Year’s resolutions going? The ones you made to exercise more, make healthier food choices, spend more time with family, and spend more time in God’s Word?

“You are what you eat!” We’ve all heard it, right? And, at this time of year, with Christmas and New Year’s parties chock full of sweet and savory goodies that could tempt the cleanest eater into indulging, one might be considering a New Year’s resolution to watch more carefully what’s eaten—after January 1, of course.

As adults, it’s hard to look at high schoolers and think that they’re deep thinkers like us sophisticated, mature grownups. Surely those teenagers don’t think about anything besides Instagram or prom!

When we look at research, it usually feels like an overwhelming mass of information. Recently, Barna came out with a new body of research on Generation Z, people who were born between 1999 and 2015. I looked at the research, and my first thought was, “There are over a hundred pages here!”