By Larry Stover
The Selma Times-Journal

I had a great time this past Wednesday morning at Martin Middle school. Our “Christian Youth Organization” meets before classes each week for a time of devotion and prayer. It is always a highlight of my weekly activities.

The devotional topic of the day was on relationships. This is always a “top 5” issue for early adolescents.

At this point in the life of Middle School students, the need to be accepted and liked by peers can be crucial and pivotal in their emotional development.

Some of them go through boyfriends and girlfriends like weather changes in Alabama.  There can be a subconscious self imposed pressure to have such a relationship.

The marriage of school age sweethearts makes an interesting storyline but most young adults I have met regret not having a wider range of relationships in school.

Being “well liked” by their peers can be an ongoing struggle. Physical and emotional changes taking place in each student makes life difficult enough without factoring in relational issues that bombard the students every day.

It’s a hard struggle going through school with few friends or being left on the outside of activities and daily discussions.

It’s no wonder that adolescents battle with depression. For those of us who spend a lot of time with them, it’s a challenge to keep our eyes open for potential problems.

As I was speaking to the CYO group Wednesday, I reminded them that while healthy relationships are vital and essential to proper emotional and spiritual development, unhealthy relationships can ruin their lives in a moment.

It’s amazing how often we befriend someone with the intent of making them a better person. We convince ourselves that we can help them kick their bad habits and get them back on track (so to speak). Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

The Apostle Paul made an interesting but true observation about people who get messed up with sin and bad choices.

In Galatians chapter six he encourages believers to help such a person who is trapped by the consequences of making bad decisions.

But, he also gives warning to those who would be the “Good Samaritan.”

He admonishes them to be careful in helping someone and in the process be brought down to their unhealthy lifestyle rather than raising them up to a positive standard of living.

Choosing friends and establishing relationships can be challenging. I left the students with a quote I heard recently. “I’m making some changes in my life … If you don’t hear anything from me … You’re one of them.”

One of the best decisions that an adolescent or anyone else can make in life, is to choose good friends and to be a great friend.

If you are in a relationship that is taking you down rather than building you up, maybe you should take to heart the above mentioned quote.

You are far better off making a positive change today than dealing with a negative change tomorrow.  Like I always say, “You are free to make any choice that you want, but you are not free to choose the consequences of that choice.”

When you think about it, healthy relationships make life  “Simply Beautiful.”