While discussing life tonight with two friends, Kevin Strait and Brandon Buchanan, my mind started to wander from our conversation to the streams flowing beneath the surface. We were talking about why many young Christians struggle to find God at "church." We tossed around the question, "What has to happen for youth to change?"
We never really came to a clear cut answer about the pratical steps that local youth ministry must take. But we know that it has something to do with Jesus. Good guess...right!
Kevin said that people change when the Holy Spirit falls. This automatically caused me to think, "Well, what do we have to do to trigger God's move in the youth group?" But I suddenly realized that God is not a street vendor who will sell His presence. We can't bargain with God. He has already chosen to freely give Himself to us. All we must do is believe and accept His gift of love. God is not a means to an end. God is the reason for everything - the one who makes all things worth doing.
Then it hit me. We are focusing on the destination instead of the doorway to it. Isn't it funny how the thing you think it is about is usually not the thing it is really all about. Just think for a minute about friendship, especially in a Christian context, such as a youth group. Helping people make friends is more about helping them grow as people and discover God in life through community than about satisfying our immediate need or desire for friendship. Of course, that is a desired by-product. But these friendshp may be shallow or may only last a short time. Thinking back to my high school days, there are only a few friends that I ever think much about or are still connected with on a semi-regular basis. People come in and out of our lives so quickly. This sometimes make me wonder why I invest so much time in relationship at all. But then as I look back at who I was then and who I am now, each moment, interaction and friendship has helped shape me.
Humans take God only a moment to make. But it takes a lifetime to put the finishing touches on us. Maybe God is really working in the youth every week? It's just not that noticeable because we want everything done overnight. Detecting a move of God is kind of like trying to predict the weather, even with all of our knowledge and technology, we aren't very good at it. Only the Spirit knows where He is going to go. We must rely more on God and be willing to set aside the traditional church playbook. How can you really measure something that it is an internal process anyway? That sounds like something that only God can do.
The key seems to be that we keep on heading toward Jesus. We must come expecting for God to meet us and open to accept whatever He decides to do. He's faithful to perfect His people. He even sees the things beneath the surface that others would miss.
God, please keep working on me. Please take the youth that You have placed on my heart and help me to know how to encourage them on their journey to You. Open their hearts to receive of Your divine life. May they reject the lies of the enemy and walk in the light. Create a hunger for things that really satisfy. May they know the original from the counterfeit. Refine them in Your time, in Your way, to Your glory! Ditto, for me too!
