youth ministry. I wrestle you.
23 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
Youth ministry is a difficult place to serve. It has its fun moments. Like you get to “act” like a kid and do ridiculous things that deep down everyone wants to do but the expectations of “adults” prevents them. Its really beautiful to have great conversation and hear students start to comprehend God’s goodness to them. When they talk about being God’s friend and what that means– its pretty powerful and heart exploding. Its so amazing to see gradual change and growth in students who may have never been to youth group before. There is so much good but it is also very hard.
This time in life for students is difficult. There is so much that they’re trying to figure out. Often they are incredibly misunderstood. I think that often this time of life is so difficult that many people once they’ve finished with it, never look back. Yet, these years are so formative in students’ lives that knowing God and pursuing Him in this time is VITAL. Things are changing left and right for students. They wrestle with friendships, identity, truth, pressure, expectations, and the list goes on.
So how do we minister to this age group?! How do we show them that despite all the things around them that they don’t understand and that don’t make sense- there is something that remains strong and true through it all? How do we show them that they are loved unconditionally? How do we make them aware of the consequences of the things they do and no matter the consequence, they’ll be ok because God is faithful? How do we show them? How do you continue to teach that and to remind them of that when there is so much that we’re so incredibly unaware of in their lives?
I’m afraid that I’m missing something vital in my ministry right now. I desperately want to be building this strong beautiful relationships with them, so that they’ll hear me when I say that God is faithful and He loves them. That nothing else matters in this world besides God, and that seeking His face first is SO worth the efforts. How do I help them know this?
I’m struggling so much myself and I don’t have it all together. Often, I haven’t a clue what to do and often I am making it up as I go along because I don’t know how to prepare myself for those moments when kids aren’t remembering and they’re lost. They’re messed up in sins and sadness and identity crisis’. How do I point them to the truth?
Youth ministry is hard. There is so much that we forget about those years in our lives. Sometimes they’re the years we never want to face again. I’ve been there. I’m so thankful that I don’t have to go to high school again. I wasn’t a fan, yet how do I encourage those that are in it…
