Holy cow, these past weeks have been incredible. I just love how God is always full of surprises. He never works the same, yet he's always good. It's fantastic! So let me just start by saying that he has been working in me in a way that I never knew I needed. Most of you who know me, or follow this blog/my videos/ etc. know that my heart has always been for ministry. It's what I love, and always have, but more specifically, I feel drawn to teenage girls. I've always volunteered with them, and have always loved building relationships with them. But God has opened crazy/awesome opportunities for me to invest more into the lives of young girls than ever before over the past few weeks and I LOVE IT!!! It all started with an event my church puts on called Israel Awareness Day. It's a program we do once a year to honor God's chosen people, and it's absolutely brilliant. Anyway, I noticed that all but one of the girls directly involved in the program with me, were younger. Now, I've known most of these girls for several years, but it's like scales fell from my eyes and I realized something SO cool. As I was spending a lot of time with these awesome young ladies, The Lord began to show me that yes, they are younger than me, and will always be...however, they will be my peers sooner than later. What I mean by this, is I realized that in the game of life, they are not that far removed from me at all. And I don't know...It gave me a sort of freedom in a way. I began to realize that it wasn't just an option, but a responsibility for me to be FRIENDS with these young women, not just a leader. Obviously there is the line of authority, as there should be, but why would it have to be a HUGE one? Because the way I look at it, the young women in my life will be entering the real world in the next 2-5 years, and anyone who's made it to 18 years old knows that that amount of time is really nothing. And I'd rather the transition of " leader to friends," not be so awkward/ hard. And i'll tell you something amazing, my relationships with these young women have already grown IMMENSLY in the past few weeks. It's crazy awesome. Especially because i'm letting myself learn from these girls as well. It's odd getting into the mind of a teen girl, especially a high school teen girl. They are figuring out who they are, what they stand for, and what they want to be in life. They are so full of promise and potential...nothing can bring them down. Their determination astounds me. I must admit that I've been dumbfounded more than once by something one of them has said, in the best possible way. Their faith is untainted, and sure. It's not that they haven't experienced the hardships of life, ( because let me tell you, some most CERTAINLY have) but somehow, believing things will get better is almost second nature. The past few weeks I've honestly looked in awe at these beautiful young women and felt a sort of sadness because I remember when only a few years ago, I WAS HER. Nothing could or would shake me, I was so sure in who I was in Christ. But oddly enough, the years in the real world have weighed heavily on me, and while my faith is still secure, I find that I inevitably let doubt in. And a lot of times, I let doubt win. When the game of "But God is bigger than any bizarre circumstance, " is played, I generally dismiss that card. Because the older we get, the more "mature" thing to do, is the be practical. Well, i'm calling bull crap on that for sure!!!
This past Sunday, we had the Middle School and High School service combined. I had gone to the adult service prior, and a good friend of mine's dad spoke. He's written an incredible book for the Men of God to stand up and be the Man God created them to be. His service really challenged me, and got me excited. I then walked into our combined youth service and began chatting with students. I LOVE pre- service for that very reason. It allows time to see into who these young people are. I was laughing and joking with Middle and High school alike, and I knew that it was going to be a great service. However, I was unaware as to just how great it would be. We were talking about the Holy Spirit, and let me tell you, HE SHOWED UP THAT DAY. It was crazy. At the end of service, the students had an opportunity to come to us leaders for prayer or to talk. And i'm telling you right now, the things these kids wanted prayer for were INCREDIBLE. Things that most adults don't even pray for. And it hit me, THIS generation, MY generation is SO hungry for truth, for righteousness. We are BEGGING to be given more, to grow, to love because we KNOW that we can change this world. When I wasn't praying with a student, I looked around and saw an army ready for battle. They don't need years to become "mature." They are some of the most spiritually mature people I know, and they're ready RIGHT. NOW. And I realized in that moment, at that point in time, that when it came to my spiritual walk, I needed to get right back to where they are. Since I graduated High School, I've been trying to find the "mature" walk of faith. To be an "adult," in my faith. Now, I'm not saying that I want to lack responsibilities when it comes to work, decisions, etc. That is all GOOD maturity to have. I'm saying that when I over analyze my faith, who Jesus is, and what he's capable of, I lose the very essence of Him. He didn't call us to have faith like a child for no reason! And the craziest thing is, the more i'm opening myself up to these incredible truths, these incredible students, the more i'm remembering what God has created me for. If you aren't directly involved in the life of a teenager, I highly encourage you to do so... They will change your world!:)
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