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My parents are about to split up and I'm scared. I've read about kids who get really messed up by their parents' divorce. How can I stay sane in the middle of my parents' fighting?

You are in for a ride on an emotional roller coaster. You've probably already been feeling all sorts of conflicting emotions; anger, fear, resentment, relief, sadness, guilt. And all of those are understandable responses to what's happening to you. But the last one, guilt, is one I hope you'll let go of. Here's why.
Guilt is a very common feeling among the children of divorcing parents. But you need to know that your parents' problems are not your fault. You didn't cause the potential divorce, and your parents might have had problems in their marriage long before you were born. Contrary to messages you might hear, you must believe that you are not to blame for your family's situation.
I'd advise you to find some supportive people you can talk to about your feelings and the stress of home. Your own parents are probably too emotionally drained to offer you much support right now. So find another adult friend, like your youth leader, who would be willing to talk with you on a regular basis. Your youth leader might even be able to point you to other students in your church who've gone through divorce and know how you're feeling.
You need supportive people you can trust—people who will listen to you, pray for you and sometimes just give you a hug. You can't magically take away your parents' problems, but you can build a foundation of strength in your life in order to handle your parents' divorce.
And, please, do not give up praying for your parents. They need God's comfort and his intervention. God is all for the reconciliation of marriages. Marriage is part of his plan for the family. In fact, I've seen the worst marriages brought back through prayer and spiritual intervention. If your parents do get divorced, life will definitely be different. However, large numbers of young people are affected by divorce, and many of them are making wise, godly decisions about their lives. You can too!

I recently saw the movie, The Truman Show, and it really made me think about God. It's got me wondering if God just created us so he'd have something to do. I can't help but think we're all just actors in a really big movie (with great special effects!). Is the world really just a big movie studio for God to amuse himself?

The Truman Show centers on a guy who grows up in a totally artificial world. Everything about his environment is controlled, and everyone's an actor. Our world is just the opposite. We live in a real world, with real people, real love, real joy, and yes, even real pain.
God did create this incredible world for his pleasure, but part of his plan is for you and me and everyone to have a relationship with him. In The Truman Show, Truman had absolutely no choice over what happened in his life. In our world, God desires us to have a parent/child relationship with him. And just like any good parent, God wants us, his children, to make decisions on our own. Through the Holy Spirit and the Bible we can learn what decisions he wants us to make. Sometimes we make the right decisions, and sometimes we make the wrong decisions.
The Truman Show was a fairy tale, a made-up fantasy. But our world is very real. God created each one of us (Psalm 139), and he is the giver of abundant life on this earth (John 10:10), as well as eternal life with him in Heaven. God demonstrated his real love to us in that while we were still sinners, he sent Jesus to die for our sins (Romans 5:8). That is real love, and nothing out of a movie script could ever come close to offering what God offers those who respond to his love. That's good news—and it ain't The Truman Show!

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