By Madalyn Milner
Sometimes she needs to slow down. Whether that be listening to Brandon Lake or trying her very best at cheer, she lays every worry at the feet of Jesus.
She chooses to live her life with Christ in the driver’s seat. Humility. Knowing she can’t do all things herself, but instead needs help. From who? Jesus Christ.
Freshman Lilli Swanson has had her fair share of struggles. She learned that she needs help and that’s okay.
During teenage years, it can be hard to figure out where you belong and who you are. Anxiety is a constant uphill battle for some, and they must learn how to deal with it.
When she found out her parents were getting divorced while she was in middle school, she didn’t know how to cope. Swanson realized that surrendering to Jesus is the best thing for her.
Her friend invited her to SERVE week at Union Chapel and the rest was history.
“We were all worshipping and everybody started crying,” she said. “Christ is always there for you.”
She was then baptized last July. She’s been surrounded by others who believe in Christ, and that’s why she felt comfortable to make the decision.
That’s why testimonies matter so much.
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Six years ago, sophomore Eli Daugherty and eighth grader Grace Daugherty lost their brother, Christian.
Christian died after about a two-year battle with a rare brain cancer. Both Eli and Grace handled things differently.
During their brother’s treatment, their parents wanted Eli and Grace to go about their days as normal, but one day wasn’t so normal. On that day, July 26, 2019, Christian passed.
“I remember sitting in the waiting room and coming (into his room) and holding his hand,” Grace said.
Eli and Grace had different ways to cope. Grace tried to make herself busy all the time by investing more and more in school. Over time, she got to a point where the pain became bearable.
Christian was Grace’s twin brother, and she realized something.
“We got a whole community through (my brother Christian) in God,” she said. Looking back, she thought more about it, and came to another realization.
Grace said many people came to support him and her family. They went to Hawaii with Make a Wish, and they had hundreds of people praying for them.
“Even though hard things will happen, and hard things can happen, God will always be with me,” she said.
Eli figured out what the Holy Spirit feels like because he chose to pursue God more and more after Christian’s death.
“(The Holy Spirit) was a thing in my heart,” he said.
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My own grandpa grew up believing in God, and he struggled with cancer in his 70’s. He went through continuous chemotherapy and blood transfusions.
The doctors kept telling him he only had weeks to live, but he ended up living six more months. “If the good Lord wants me, I’ll be with him,” he once said.
Oct. 14, 2024, was the day he passed away. I was crying and mad at God and didn’t understand.
I went back into my empty grandparents’ house with my mom at 7:30 that evening.
My grandpa had ordered Chinese food days before, but he didn’t eat the fortune cookie. He always saved them for me.
Walking over to the cookie on the kitchen counter, I opened it up and read the fortune: “You are loved. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
That was the moment I knew my grandpa was still with me, and God was, too.
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Junior Ruth Sherck lost her brother after his long battle with continuous health problems.
Her brother Malachi was born normally, but then his intestines twisted. The doctors expected him to not live for much longer, but he ended up living until he was 19. Ruth said this: “He is a miracle of God.”
She figured out how to honor God.
“For me, it wasn’t just about glorifying God, but also seeing God be glorified through (Malachi’s) stories,” Ruth said.
Some know being a Christian is hard. Christian has Christ in it. Believers recognize Jesus went through so many trials and tribulations just to demonstrate his love for you.
“I can’t be who I am without God. I was made in his image,” Ruth said. “I’m living to reflect Christ and that’s my goal every day.”
Some know that you’re going to have loss, anxiety and dread, but what matters is how you deal with it.
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Freshman Hunter Reed lost his grandma when he was in second grade. His grandma’s passing took a toll on him, and he would be crying when he went through pictures.
He knew he was struggling and needed God, so he got baptized.
“As I went down [in the water], I just felt so renewed and like a clean slate,” Reed said.
Reed now knows trials and tribulations are meant to shake you, but in that process, it makes you stronger.
“Sometimes in life, I’ve come to realize that you’ll go through heartbreak, you’ll go through sadness, but at the end of the day, it’s all going to be okay because God has a better plan for you,” he said.
