A Letter to the Youth Ministry

Our youth community has just finished a series on ministry. And boy, it got me thinking. A lot. It brought me back to when I first joined youth ministry. 


October 2012. 

I remember walking out to Starbucks from my church with the Youth Pastor, someone I didn't know existed until a few minutes before. It was an appointment to talk about a ministry vacancy: teaching junior high classes on Sundays. Obviously, the meeting covered a whole lot more than that (talk about great coffee talks!).

Who would have thought that my Pastor's spontaneous invitation to join his team would begin this groundbreaking, destiny-altering, life-changing journey of my life? I certainly didn't.

Because truthfully, it was an awful first few months. 

Almost all the teens there (who are most-probably starting college or halfway through college by now) knew how unconfident and awkward I was. Teens scared me, I wanted to cry so many times. Most nights I wondered why I decided to come. But surprise, surprise: I kept coming. Week after week. Friday after Friday.

I had only 1 reason why: I wanted to give God a chance to shape and process me out of my comfort zone. So if youth ministry was where I needed to be for that to happen, I had to stay faithful and not rush on making my own conclusions about where I am called to serve. And perhaps the only way for me to know that is to give it a try. 

Fast forward 4.5 years, 3 youth conferences and camps, and a-million-other-things-in-between later: 


I don't think I have ever loved doing what I do more than the way I love serving and being in youth ministry. 

I would be home from a normal Friday night youth service, or we would have just finished our annual youth conference. It would be a night when only 10 teens showed up and 1 fell asleep during the sermon. Or it would be one of those revival nights, with more than 50 teens responding to the altar call. It would even be home after a Saturday night coffee talk with a teen. They all are as powerful and fun, separately and altogether. Because they still get me wide awake at night, asking myself: 

Can you believe we get to do this? 

No. 

But I am forever grateful that I, we, get the chance to do what we do. Here and now. I am still in awe and wonder of all the work we get to be involved in, the people we get to meet, and the lived that changed along the way. 

Yes, I believe I've made good decisions throughout my life. Some really good ones. Decisions to leave and keep some friendships and relationships. Career choices, clothing purchases (I mean, I have tops that I bought in high school and they still look good and in-season until today. A very smart purchasing decision indeed! You get my point). 

But then there are those that turn your life upside down, only to prove God's will and shaping in your life. There are those decisions that seem so wrong, unexpected, and out of the ordinary at first, but slowly unfolds into a greater purpose. Decisions that completely change your life. Decisions that make you different, better human beings today. 

For me, joining youth ministry was that: 

the best decision I have ever made*.



*Well, maybe there is one or two that goes above that, ha! But top 5 ever for sure. 
*YET. The best decision I have ever made, YET. Because I'm totally convinced that when you walk with God, the best always yet to come. 

Comments

  1. First to comment! :)

    Can't say that Sara and I don't know what you mean. Only those who gives a try to pour their lives for others will ever understand what it really means to truly live.

    Great blog :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wohooo!!. We are forever grateful what you have done!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I. Love. This. #youthministryforthewin. Youth ministry gives more than it takes. Thank u for sharing Levvv! Following God outside of our comfort zones is the BEST adventure anyone could ask for!!

    ReplyDelete

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