Introduction: Your Hurt Matters to Jesus| Moving Beyond Broken Teen Bible Study
Your Hurt Matters to Jesus: Christian Emotional Healing
Jesus does not ask you to pretend everything is fine or to fix yourself before coming to Him. He invites you to look at Him, listen to Him, and let Him meet you right where you are.
Healing does not come from trying harder, being better, or pushing pain down. Healing begins when you allow Jesus into the hurt places where hurt has lived for too long. He knows how to restore what feels lost, bring light into dark places, and help you move forward without carrying the weight of the past.
Start Here
If you're new to the study, use the resources below to help you grow. You don't need to complete every resource each week. Choose the ones that will help you connect with God and deepen your understanding of the lesson.
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Complete pages 11-16
Complete bonus pages 84-85
Introduction Lesson: By Kelly Kirstein
Faithful Chicks Podcast
For Group Leaders: Discussion Prompts
Introduction Lesson By Kelly Kirstein
Purpose: This teaching is designed to help you understand the Bible study before completing this week's journal pages.
Coming Soon
Faithful Chicks Podcast
The Faithful Chicks Podcast is different from the weekly lesson.
While the video lesson teaches the Bible study, the podcast offers additional encouragement, stories, and conversations inspired by this week's theme. Listen anytime during the week to continue growing in your relationship with Jesus.
Coming Soon
Let's Do This Together: pgs. 11-16
Let’s Talk About the River
Jesus says that when we believe in Him, His Spirit flows through us like a river.
A river is meant to move.
It brings life.
It refreshes.
It keeps going.
But what happens when rocks start piling up?
The water is still there… but it gets disrupted. Slowed down. Redirected.
That is what happens in our hearts when we carry hurt without processing it with Jesus.
The pain, the lies, the moments that shaped how we see ourselves… they become like rocks in the river.
And over time:
we feel stuck
we feel anxious
we overthink everything
we react in ways we don’t understand
It is not because God left you.
It is because something is blocking the flow.
The Truth About the “Rocks”
Those rocks might be:
Something someone said that stuck with you
A moment you felt rejected or deeply hurt
A situation you blamed yourself for
A hurt you never talked about
When we don’t bring these things to Jesus, they don’t just disappear.
They stay. And they start to shape how we think, feel, and respond.
This is how the enemy gains a foothold, not by taking over your life, but by working through the places that were never healed.
What Jesus Wants To Do
Your hurt matters to Jesus. He is not asking you to pretend it didn’t hurt. He is inviting you to bring it to Him.
When you do, He will:
Show you what is true
Heal what was broken
Replace lies with truth
Take away the weight those moments carried
The goal is not to erase your story.
The goal is that your story no longer has power over you.
The river flows again.
Supporting Scriptures
Proverbs 4:23 – “Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Ephesians 4:27 – “Do not give the devil a foothold.”
Psalm 147:3 – “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
2 Corinthians 10:5 – Taking thoughts captive and aligning them with truth
Hebrews 12:15 – Warning about a “root” growing and causing trouble
John 8:32 – “The truth will set you free.”
Group Leader Study Introduction & Discussion Prompts:
To begin the study, I recommend reading and talking about pages 11-14 together to introduce the visual concepts of the river and rocks that change the flow.
Looking at the pictures of the girl walking by the river, draw attention to the truth that the rocks don't stop the flow, but that the water is flowing through the rocks. This is what happens when carry hurt, that we haven't processed through with Jesus.
Remind the girls of the picture from John 7:37–38. Jesus describes “rivers of living water” flowing from those who believe in Him. Throughout this study, we are going to use the picture of a river to help us understand what can happen inside our hearts.
Sometimes hurt, fear, disappointment, rejection, anger, or painful experiences can become like rocks in a river. We may carry them for so long that we do not even realize they are there.
These pages will help girls begin noticing their “rocks” without feeling like they have to deal with everything at once.
Complete pages 84-85 together.
Before You Begin
Tell the girls:
You are not looking for every painful thing that has ever happened to you.
Simply pay attention to what comes to mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to gently show you what He wants you to notice.
Some girls may immediately think of several things. Others may not think of anything. Both are okay.
A girl never needs to tell the group what she wrote on her rocks. She can simply name the hurt privately between herself and Jesus.
Talk About It
Before girls begin writing, use a few of these questions to help them understand the exercise:
1. What do you think a “rock” could look like in someone's life?
Help girls think beyond major trauma. A rock could be a friendship that ended, rejection, something hurtful someone said, embarrassment, insecurity, disappointment, fear, anger, family changes, or something they cannot stop thinking about.
2. Can something still affect us even if it happened a long time ago? How might we notice that?
You might talk about strong reactions, recurring thoughts, fear, anger, insecurity, avoiding something, or becoming upset when something reminds us of what happened.
3. Why do you think we sometimes try to ignore things that hurt us?
Girls may mention embarrassment, not wanting to think about it, believing it should not bother them anymore, being afraid of becoming emotional, or simply not knowing what to do with the hurt.
4. What is the difference between ignoring a hurt and giving it to Jesus “for now”?
This is an important distinction. Ignoring says, It doesn't matter. I'm not dealing with it.
Giving it to Jesus says, This matters, but I don't have to solve it right now. Jesus, I trust You to hold this and help me know when and how to deal with it.
5. Why do you think it is important that we don't try to work through every rock at once?
Help girls understand that healing does not need to be rushed. Jesus is gentle with our hearts. They can learn to follow the Holy Spirit one step at a time.
Invite the Holy Spirit
Before girls begin writing, pause together.
You might pray:
“Holy Spirit, You know every part of our stories. Show each of us what You want us to notice today. Help us not to force anything or become overwhelmed. If there is a rock You want us to recognize, gently bring it to mind. Jesus, help us trust You with whatever comes up. Amen.”
Then give the girls a few quiet minutes to complete the page.
Do not rush the silence.
After They Write
Do not ask, “Who wants to tell us what they wrote?”
Instead, keep the conversation focused on what they are learning about the process:
6. What was it like to slow down and actually pay attention to what came to mind?
7. Was it hard to simply name something without trying to figure it all out? Why?
8. What does it mean to you to picture yourself placing that rock into Jesus' hands?
9. What would it look like to trust Jesus with something even before you understand how He is going to help you with it?
10. How could you use this practice during the rest of the study when another rock comes to mind?
A Truth Girls Need to Hear
End by reminding them: You do not have to fix yourself.
During this study, things may come to mind that you did not expect. When that happens, you can notice the rock, name it, and bring it to Jesus.
Sometimes He may be inviting you to work through it with Him. Sometimes the wisest thing may be to leave it with Him for now. And sometimes a hurt is too big to carry or process on your own, and you need the help of a parent, trusted adult, counselor, or mental health professional.
The goal is not to uncover every hurt.
The goal is to learn to recognize what is happening inside you and begin bringing it to Jesus.
One rock. One prayer. One step at a time.
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