High School. Teenagers. Ministry. Three words that probably make some people wince. Teenagers are challenging enough; add ministry to the mix and we have a concoction of out of control emotions, stubbornness and the all too familiar phrase “I know what’s best.” And that’s just the leaders. Ha!
I wasn’t sure why God lead me into Student Ministries two years ago. I assumed, because of my broken childhood, I was being inserted in the midst of these teenagers’ lives to divert their course. It sounds simple, right? I’ll just share my story and the kids will “get it,” they will follow Jesus and crisis averted! Well, that’s not what happened. Not in the slightest bit. God had another agenda.
I was submerged into a group of leaders who loved teenagers. Some of whom still acted like teenagers themselves. I felt out of place at first. I didn’t quite understand why I was there, but I knew without a doubt God led me there so I stayed obedient. I’m so glad I did! God has revealed so much of who He is over the last two and a half years while serving in High School ministries.
I have come to know and love the leaders and their hearts. We have shared stories. We have laughed together. We have cried together. We have been frustrated together. We have lived life together. I have seen leaders' hearts explode with joy and rejoice when a student decides to follow Jesus. I’ve also seen and felt the pain of leaders when students run from Jesus temporarily or permanently. Our leaders have grown closer to Jesus….together.
I have also come to know Jesus more and actually live out what it means to believe in Him and His Word. Through all of these experiences, God has shown me just how much He loves me and that His timing is the perfect timing. While I am waiting on God, He is increasing my faith and revealing things I wouldn’t have otherwise seen. It is a beautiful thing.
God has done some pretty amazing things over the last few years, but there is one that just stands out for me. For 5 years, 5 long years… a leader poured her time, her energy and her heart into one particular student. This student wanted nothing to do with Jesus, but this leader still spent time walking with her in and through the mess. The leader was full of heartache and almost hopeless. We had the gift of coming alongside her to encourage her, to pray with and for her and pour our hearts out to God for the student. Then we had to have faith that God would work it out in His time.
Ministry is hard. It is messy. It can be very challenging because the majority of people typically don’t listen to the wisdom leaders share. Even though this wisdom comes from God for us to pass along, most often they have to figure it out on their own. It can be painful to watch someone…. someone you care about, make the same choices you made that ended in heartache and pain. Yet, we watch. We watch with the Hope that Jesus will change them. We walk with them to guide them down the right path. We pray for their hearts. We may never know if the seeds that were planted will take root. We may never see the fruits of our labor, but we do it anyway. We do it…. because we have faith in God and we believe Him and His Word. We believe in His strength, not ours. We believe that He is faithful and that He loves us.
So, that student that wanted nothing to do with Jesus..Yeah, well God answered those prayers and that girl gave her life to Christ this year! Now she chases after Jesus! I cannot describe to you the overwhelming joy we all felt, but I can tell you my faith in God and in His timing was increased.
When you have moments like that, you can reflect on them, it encourages you to believe that God’s timing is absolutely perfect. It gives me Hope that no matter what my situation is, I can trust in God. I can believe that He hears me, He loves me and He will work all things out in His time. All I need to do is believe in Him and be obedient.