“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
– Colossians 3:13
“Forgiveness is the release of resentment or anger. Forgiveness doesn’t have to return to the same relationship or accept the same harmful behaviors from an offender. Forgiveness is vitally important for the mental health of those who have been victimized. It propels people forward rather than keeping them emotionally engaged in injustice or trauma. Forgiveness has been shown to elevate mood, enhance optimism, and guard against anger, stress, anxiety, and depression.” – Psychology Today
In the month of February, Cultured was able to take 27 kids from south end schools to YFC’s annual Winter Camp. There were over 90 kids from the Seattle area and Tacoma who came together for a weekend of discipleship and growing in Christ. The theme for the weekend was forgiveness. Most of the youth who attended have been through a lot of trauma and forgiveness is not their reality. At Winter Camp, we were able to break down those walls by having small group peace circles where they were able to share, “If you really knew me, you would know…”
The leaders and students were given the opportunity to be vulnerable and also to talk about the painful things that happened in their past and present. As we heard horrible stories of past experiences, we were able to redirect those stories to Christ. With the help of our church and community partners, 27 students from South Seattle received healing and had an experience with God that could potentially be a start of a life long relationship with Jesus Christ. More to come!!!
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- Pray that our kids will continue to be brave and reach out to other Godly Leaders.
- Pray that our kids will continue to forgive and understand the meaning of forgiveness.
In watching and interacting with our students at Winter Camp, I witnessed how our youth were willing to support and encourage each other through the whole process of healing.
