An inspiring church retreat opens my eyes on society’s lies

What society has to say about you does not matter

An+inspiring+church+retreat+opens+my+eyes+on+societys+lies

Kendall Gaignat, JAG sports editor

We all have fallen for a false statement some time in our lives. Statements like, “I’m so fat,” “I have no friends,” “I look like trash,” things of that nature. You don’t have to believe those bad thoughts anymore because they aren’t needed and they’re all false. This past weekend, I went on a church retreat and it was probably the most refreshing and eye-opening experience I’ve ever had. This event revealed to me how much people struggle with the same things and how well people hide it. The main focus of the retreat was to refocus our eyes on what the truth is, which is from God, and how to distinguish when you’re being lied to by Satan.

On the first night, we did an  activity where we wrote down lies that we’ve been told such as, “I’m not smart enough,” “No one likes me,” “I won’t ever be forgiven,” and one that hit close to home for me, “I’m unwanted.” Then, we had to go over to a leader and they read the lies back to us as we looked at ourselves in a mirror. When I was doing this, I had such a hard time looking at myself because I knew everything that was being said to me was false, yet I had believed it for so long. There was not a dry eye in that room. It was such a vulnerable time and a huge eye opener to see some of the nicest and sweetest people I know struggle with such demons inside of them.

The following day, we flipped it. We wrote down the true statements like “I am loved,” “I am smart because I challenge myself in school,” “I am forgiven,” and one of my favorites, “I am beautiful.” The speaker, youth pastor Becca McAndrew, explained to us that we were just covering up the truth with lies. The truth was always there, we just couldn’t see it through the lies. We did the same thing with the mirrors, and there were tears of pure joy this time. I felt so overwhelmed with love that I couldn’t help but cry. I realized that through most of my teenage years, I had been told so many lies. Now, I don’t have to believe them anymore.

The point of this experience is that you don’t have to believe what society has to say about you. They’re all pure lies and don’t deserve to consume your thoughts. It is not who you are and you shouldn’t have to think that way. Once you can realize what is a lie and what’s the truth, your life will improve by so much, I can guarantee that. I encourage you all to do this with a friend and see what kind of a difference this can make for you. It sure made a difference for me. It showed me that I don’t have to believe in what this world has to say about me. The lies don’t matter and shouldn’t fill your thoughts.

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