I love being Youth Staff! I love it! It’s one of those things that scares you almost to death, teenagers are completely scary but they are completely awesome. The best part of loving a teenager? I can’t pick just one thing, that’s how awesome they are!
Youth Ministry is brutal. It’s exhausting and heartbreaking, and probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life or will ever do, for that matter (other than being a mom to my own daughter). Teenagers are just like adults who haven’t learned to hide their mess, so a lot of times it is on the surface and easier to deal with, and when it’s not, well, you just keep loving! This generation has my heart, it is amazing to see them change the world around them, to see God do such an awesome work in their lives.
People have told me that I am nuts for loving teenagers. They’ve actually said to me that it is not my responsibility to carry the burdens of those teenagers, that I am not their mother. Well, this is where I would have to disagree, we are called to carry the burdens of others.
Gal 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
It’s not easy, it seems I already have enough to worry about, right? Well, here’s the thing, It says in
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest
How thankful I am that I can give my burdens to Jesus and He will take them ALL! And then I can carry someone else’s, and then put those at the feet of Jesus. And then keep going.
I love prayer. I love that I can pray for others, and I really love that I can pray and God answers their prayers.
It’s time for a new school year, as always, my role as a leader changes, as I discover my gifts and how to best use them, God uses me! At the beginning of each year, I get excited, I get excited about what God is going to do, lives that are going to be changed!!! I also know how hard it is to be a leader, to keep going, it’s exciting to see lives changed but it’s exhausting to keep going with everything else we have in our lives, and it’s heartbreaking to see students make bad choices, but we keep loving them, NO MATTER WHAT because Jesus loves us NO MATTER WHAT!
So as this school year starts, I am asking that you pray for students, that you pray that their lives will be changed by Jesus, that you pray for our leaders to be leaders of integrity, that God will continue to draw them close, that they will be under his wings and grow strength in Him, that they will see the students who are alone, that they will grow to search the hearts of our students, to carry their burdens, that the students and the leaders will be surrounded by those who are encouraging and loving. That satan’s plans be bound and God’s plans be loosened all over Downriver. May as leaders we love and be loved.
Youth Ministry, it’s the hardest job you’ll ever love!
Acts 2:46-47 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Youth Ministry is brutal. It’s exhausting and heartbreaking, and probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life or will ever do, for that matter (other than being a mom to my own daughter). Teenagers are just like adults who haven’t learned to hide their mess, so a lot of times it is on the surface and easier to deal with, and when it’s not, well, you just keep loving! This generation has my heart, it is amazing to see them change the world around them, to see God do such an awesome work in their lives.
People have told me that I am nuts for loving teenagers. They’ve actually said to me that it is not my responsibility to carry the burdens of those teenagers, that I am not their mother. Well, this is where I would have to disagree, we are called to carry the burdens of others.
Gal 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
It’s not easy, it seems I already have enough to worry about, right? Well, here’s the thing, It says in
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest
How thankful I am that I can give my burdens to Jesus and He will take them ALL! And then I can carry someone else’s, and then put those at the feet of Jesus. And then keep going.
I love prayer. I love that I can pray for others, and I really love that I can pray and God answers their prayers.
It’s time for a new school year, as always, my role as a leader changes, as I discover my gifts and how to best use them, God uses me! At the beginning of each year, I get excited, I get excited about what God is going to do, lives that are going to be changed!!! I also know how hard it is to be a leader, to keep going, it’s exciting to see lives changed but it’s exhausting to keep going with everything else we have in our lives, and it’s heartbreaking to see students make bad choices, but we keep loving them, NO MATTER WHAT because Jesus loves us NO MATTER WHAT!
So as this school year starts, I am asking that you pray for students, that you pray that their lives will be changed by Jesus, that you pray for our leaders to be leaders of integrity, that God will continue to draw them close, that they will be under his wings and grow strength in Him, that they will see the students who are alone, that they will grow to search the hearts of our students, to carry their burdens, that the students and the leaders will be surrounded by those who are encouraging and loving. That satan’s plans be bound and God’s plans be loosened all over Downriver. May as leaders we love and be loved.
Youth Ministry, it’s the hardest job you’ll ever love!
Acts 2:46-47 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
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