Transcripts: My Teen Life

Transcript: My Teen Life. Episode 7 How Can I Fix My Mistakes?
[Thalila. Brazil]
Thalila: I started to make a lot of friends at school, and aside from school, I began learning how to Rollerblade. So, whenever I’d go out to practice, I’d meet lots of different people.
[Jose. Brazil]
Jose: I made some mistakes because of bad associations. We started going out at night and maybe just drinking a little alcohol. But eventually, we were drinking a lot. By the time I realized what was happening, I was already really involved. I was 17 years old.
Thalila: I started being close friends with them. They were everything to me, and I really trusted them. They were doing some wrong things like doing drugs and using bad language. But I thought: ‘I’m just with them. As long as I don’t do what they’re doing, it’s not a problem.’
[Proverbs 6:28: Or can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?]
Jose: I began to make excuses, saying that it didn’t really matter and that there wasn’t anything wrong with what I was doing.
Thalia: My spiritual routine was just going to the meetings.
Jose: I started missing some meetings.
Thalila: I never prayed. I didn’t even know how to do personal study.
Jose: I wasn’t reading the Bible every day.
Thalila: In this group of friends, there was a boy who liked me and asked me out. And since all my friends were dating, I thought, ‘Why not?’ So, I started dating him, and my parents had no idea. I’d lie about where I was going, what I’d be doing, and who I’d be with. I was pretty much two completely different people. At home, I was one way, and with my friends, I was another.
Jose: I tried to pray to Jehovah, but I just couldn’t. I felt ashamed because I knew inside that Jehovah wasn’t happy with what I was doing.
Thalia: My conscience really bothered me.
[Text: Psalm 51:17: A heart broken and crushed, O God, you will not reject]
“There was a moment when my boyfriend and then some of those friends really let me down. I began thinking about how I didn’t have anyone else in my life.
Jose: One time, we were all drinking, and this girl invited us all to go to her house. I started thinking about what might happen if I said yes to that girl’s invitation. I knew that there’d be drinking, drugs, and maybe even something immoral might happen.
Thalila: So, after having not prayed for a really long time, I closed my eyes and said: “Jehovah, please help me. I’m just so alone. I don’t have anyone.” I felt completely abandoned by everyone.
Jose: So right then and there, I said a prayer to Jehovah, asking him that if he would help me to say no, from that day forward, I would stop associating with those friends and serve him whole-souled.
Thalila: Many times, I asked Jehovah to forgive me. I said: “Jehovah, you’re the only one I have. Please help me.” And that’s exactly what happened.
Jose: After saying that prayer, I felt determined to leave. I started thinking about everything that I’d done and how I was putting not only my own life at risk but also my relationship with Jehovah.
Thalila: I thought, I’m going to talk to the elders.
Jose: Since I’m a very shy person, the thought of confessing my mistakes was really difficult.
Thalia: I talked to them, and I told them everything that had happened. It was like a weight had been lifted off me. I saw that I really wasn’t alone after all. I still remember a scripture that they read to me at Psalm 86:5, which showed me that Jehovah’s forgiveness has no limits if I’m truly repentant. So, I knew that Jehovah would forgive me. But the elders also told me that I’d have to tell my parents, which was very difficult. But I thought, ‘Well, I need to speak up.’ And I just opened up and told them about what had happened.
[Text: Proverbs 28:13: Confess and abandon your mistakes]
Jose: I decided that I was going talk with an elder, and he read a scripture with me from Philippians 4:7, which says that “the peace of God “that surpasses all understanding will guard [our] hearts.” So, I was able to pray again, knowing that if I really changed, I could feel that peace that comes from Jehovah.
Thalila: I started studying the Bible for real.
Jose: I stopped associating with those friends and started being more involved in spiritual things.
Thalila: I had the privilege of getting baptized and becoming a regular pioneer. And today, I’m serving at Bethel.
Jose: I had the privilege of being invited to help with construction projects, but my greatest privilege is the strong friendship that I have with Jehovah and also having true friends.
Thalila: I’ve seen that Jehovah has always been by my side. And even when I didn’t want to be with him, Jehovah never abandoned me.
[Text: What could help you to fix your mistakes?
Confess and abandon your mistakes Proverbs 28:13
Avoid bad associations, 1 Corinthians 15:33
Draw closer to Jehovah, James 4:8]
[A montage of Thalila, Jose and other teens]
[Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2023 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania]