Summer is now upon us and I
think that is good news for most of us.
The warmer weather is a great change of pace and allows for more outdoor
activities we enjoy. Of course, we also
look forward to BBQs, different types of gatherings, and family vacations over
the course of the summer. Summer can be
a very relaxing and enjoyable time for most of us, but it can also be a very
busy time. It is no different for those
of us involved in youth ministry. We
typically like to keep our teens busy over the summer, as one of our aims is to
give our teens opportunities to fellowship, serve, and carve out many special
memories. As my wife and I were drawing
up our summer calendar recently, I reflected on hard lessons learned in my
early days of youth ministry.
I spent a whole summer
working on youth group curriculum for the upcoming year. I invested hours upon hours of research and
writing, trying to build the perfect set of questions and reflections that
would enable teens to go deeper in their relationship with Christ. To make a long story short, this curriculum
fell way short of the hopes and expectations I had envisioned. Why?
It was too complicated. I had
spent too much time making sure it was perfect that I ended up losing focus and
creating something mostly unusable.
I can recall a couple nights
in particular where I was super excited about the messages I was to give. It was so well thought out and planned, right
down to games to match up with the Scripture and theme of the message. Of course, God didn't show up and it made for
miserable nights for me. And when this
happens, my students suffer as well.
What's the common
denominator here? I became so consumed
with feeling pressure to perform and crafting something “perfect” that I forgot
to invite God in and let him take the lead on my well-crafted plans. It completely threw my life out of balance as
a result.
Perhaps this is something
you can relate to in your own life. Many
times we get so bogged down with burning the candle at both ends, the different
pressures we feel, and our busy day-to-day schedules that we forget to place
God in his rightful place as the center of our lives and the plans of our
lives.
Does this mean we should not
strive for excellence, or feel guilty about working hard, or settle for less
than the absolute best we can give?
Absolutely not. Let's just
remember to allow God to work through us.
Too many times I've not included God in my plans and the results have
always been fruitless. Keeping God out
front is a habit that takes time to develop; however, the more we allow him to
move and work through us, the more we'll be able to move through the messiness
of this life.
“So do not worry, saying,
‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the
pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need
them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew
6:31-34
“My soul finds rest in God
alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is
my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2
“Then,
because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a
chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place
and get some rest.” Mark 6:31
Yours
In Christ,
Pastor
Drew
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