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READ: ROMANS 8:1-2; COLOSSIANS 1:13-14\n\n\n\nEditor\u2019s Note: Today\u2019s reading addresses self-harm.\n\n\n\nAllyson pushed up her sleeve, revealing an angry red scar in the shape of an F. F for failure.\n\n\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d Colette reached out and gently took Allyson\u2019s hand, exposing her scarred forearm. Some scars white and barely raised. Some still red and scabbed.\n\n\n\nColette raised her purple gel pen. \u201cNot failure. Look.\u201d\n\n\n\nGently, she traced a word on Allyson\u2019s arm, using the F as the first letter, the looping cursive gliding over old scars until it read, \u201cForgiven.\u201d\n\n\n\nColette pulled out another pen, this one blue. She wrote, \u201cFamily of God.\u201d Then, choosing a pink pen, she wrote, \u201cFabulous.\u201d\n\n\n\nAllyson giggled through her tears. \u201cFabulous?\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cYeah you are, girl!\u201d Colette grinned. Then she sobered, tears in her eyes. \u201cAllyson. I love you. Seeing you in pain breaks my heart.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cI know.\u201d Allyson looked away.\n\n\n\n\u201cBut God loves you even more than I do.\u201d Colette pointed to the words on Allyson\u2019s arm. \u201cThis is what God thinks of you. You are no failure, and you don\u2019t need to carve a mark to tell yourself you are. It\u2019s a lie. You\u2019re forgiven, loved, a child of God in Christ.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cI just\u2026wanted to let some of the pain out.\u201d\n\n\n\nColette held her hands. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to shed your blood. Jesus already shed His.\u201d She pointed at Allyson\u2019s chest. \u201cNo matter how bad you feel about yourself, that\u2019s not how He feels. To Him, you\u2019re\u201d\u2014Colette pulled out a red pen and wrote\u2014\u201cflawless in Christ.\u201d\n\n\n\nAllyson nodded and gripped Colette\u2019s hand.\n\n\n\n\u201cIs there someone you can talk to about this?\u201d asked Colette.\n\n\n\nAllyson nodded. She gave a shaky smile. \u201cI don\u2019t want to keep doing this. Can you go with me to the school counselor\u2019s office?\u201d \u2022 Alyssa Roat\n\n\n\n\u2022 Have you or a friend ever been tempted to self-harm? What were you feeling? What are some other ways you could work through those feelings without self-harming?\n\n\n\n\u2022 Stress, grief, or other difficult emotions can be overwhelming and confusing to deal with. What are some ways you can turn to God to help you deal with your emotions? Who is a trusted person you can talk to about these feelings\u2014a counselor, a parent, a teacher, or someone else?\n\n\n\n\u2022 It\u2019s easy to forget who we are in Christ when we are experiencing hurts. What are some verses that can help you remember your identity and value in Christ?\n\n\n\n\u2022 If you are self-harming or are thinking of self-harming and you need someone to talk to, you can set up an appointment for a one-time complimentary phone consultation with a licensed counselor through the Focus on the Family Counseling Service by calling 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time).\n\n\n\nHe saved us\u2014not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy\u2014through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5 (CSB)