Family Spotlight

Springtime Heralds New Life, Beginnings

Spring has sprung;
The grass is riz;
I wonder where;
The flowers is.

(NUI) - At Easter, we Christians celebrate the power of God's resurrection working in our lives to bring life from death. And the Jews celebrate the Passover in this springtime as well.

Let me share with you a story about a boy named Tom and how his broken life was mended. It's a good story for springtime - a resurrection story. Please listen to his words:

Dear Father Peter,

My mom always told me I was bad. Her words were: "You're just like your dad." I never knew my dad. She said it so many times I believed it.

I have a bad self-image. It didn't help that I started running around with the wrong crowd, using drugs, shoplifting, stealing, running away from home. I had just given up.

Then I was sent to a detention center and finally I came to Boys Town.

To get better, you first have to believe you can get better. Then you have to follow the right path which is God's path. You can do anything with God's help. I had to discover that.

It was like I woke up from my grave. Like a personal Easter. I began to feel closer to God than I had ever been before.

God did not keep the police from chasing me and catching me. That's not what God is supposed to do. The first step I took was to accept the fact that God was there for me and start turning to Him for help.

That was a huge change in my life. After I began trusting in God, things started to get better and better. I started praying. I ended up believing, even in me. I had to make lots of sacrifices. Nothing is free. But I am doing it.

I would like to become a counselor when I finish school. Then I could help other kids become better and feel better. I am willing to help anyone. I believe that with God's help, I can do that.

Your friend,

Tom

You see, springtime really does come after winter, and joy is not the absence of suffering. It is suffering that has been worked through.

A seed must fall into the ground and die before it produces fruit. This springtime, with the earth being warmed by the sun, is a great time for you and me to remember that and put it into practice.

About the Author:

Father Val Peter is executive director of Boys Town, the famous home for troubled boys and girls in Boys Town, Nebraska, and in California, New York, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Nevada, Rhode Island, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Washington, D.C.

Article courtesy of www.newsusa.com.