Towards the middle to end of summer, reality begins to hit. I have a fall retreat coming up for our youth group. I have a winter retreat coming up for our conference. I have a training weekend to organize for other youth workers. I’m still not exactly sure what order to approach the curriculum I’ve gotten for this school year. I’m wondering if teens we haven’t seen in a while due to the summer slump will return this fall?
And they say youth ministry is messy games and pizza parties.
It’s in these times especially that I remember words from Mark Yaconelli. That what we do and who we are MUST be based in Love, and not anxiety. Even then, it’s not about being anxious to make sure we are based in Love. But truly remembering/receiving the Love of God we’ve been created to enjoy. To allow that Love to bring peace, patience, joy; and also a responsibility for time management…based in Love.
Let’s face it, our teens are anxious enough. Fears about a new school year. About another year of forging some sort of identity among their peers, many of whom have changed through the summer. When is the last time any of us “grown ups” have feared who we would sit by in a crowded lunchroom? We know the pressures these teens face, and the stresses put on their shoulders by teachers, coaches, parents, and even themselves. God calls us as those who reveal His Kingdom to these teens, to be sources of peace. Sources of letting go. Sources of trusting in God.
But we must practice what we will preach. It’s healthy to have some amount of worry going into another school year of ministry. It’s a stinkin’ awe-some, and humbling thing to be a part of. But we are not worried out of anxiety for another year of performance. We’ve grown up a bit. When we worry, it is out of a love for these teens that brings us to our knees before the Lord of Junior High and High School.
May we all build a solid foundation of such prayer, as we look to the year ahead….in the name of Jesus.
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Chadwick Anderson is a God lovin’ family man working with teens and families in Decatur, Illinois. He loves hockey, coffee, and being a bit of a nerd. Check him on his blog, on the book of faces, or on twitter.
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