“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. -Matthew 7:24-25

It is a Zeeland Christian tradition that every year, the 7th graders go out to Camp Rodger in Belding, Michigan, and we pick the theme for our 8th grade year. This camp is a lot more serious,  but it helps us to focus on God, and overall it is an experience to remember to pick the theme for our final year at Zeeland Christian. Our theme this year definitely impacts me as an 8th grader in Zeeland Christian, but it equally impacts me as a Christian living in this world.

This verse means a lot to me as an 8th grader here at Zeeland Christian. Being in middle school is a hard time for most people. However, this verse lets us know that when there are struggles in this life, which there will be, God will be there with us if we have our foundation on Him. I think that this verse will help 6th graders know that even though they might be struggling because a friend is in a different homeroom or maybe there teacher isn’t the one that they wanted, or maybe there just a little scared about the whole Middle School thing, that things are going to be okay. And I think that if they can let God do the work, and that things are going to be okay, that they can make sure that they have a great overall Middle School experience. I am very happy with the theme this year, I think that it will inspire and give comfort to a lot of kids in this school.

This verse means a lot to me as a Christian in this world in general, not just an 8th grader at Zeeland Christian. This verse is fairly simple to apply in Middle School, but in the world, we do have struggles, but not every single day of your life, so how can you apply this to your life when everything’s going well. This verse says that whoever hears these words of mine and puts them into practice, is like the wise man who built his house on the rock. Some of the things that would be “his worlds” come from Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and also love your neighbor as yourself.  Without saying it directly this verse tells us that we have to put his words into practice. The question was, what does this verse mean to you as a Christian in the world, my answer, putting his words into practice.

Our theme this year definitely impacts me as an 8th grader in Zeeland Christian, but it equally impacts me as a Christian living in this world. Overall, I think that this verse can be used as comfort, and also a wake up call to do the things that God has told us to do. I hope people are inspired by this verse, and I pray that we would listen to what this verse has told us to do.