I believe that this is more frustrating when you are dealing with ministry. Ministry is about totally relying on God and not self for direction, wisdom and the most important, timing. Now, if you know me very well you know that I want what I want and I wanted it yesterday. I am a part of that instant gratification generation. This can be a good thing but it also can be a bad thing. When you see the vision of what God can do then you instantly want it. It would be like seeing the Corvette that you could have if you traded in "the Kia". Now, you can smell the leather upholstery, you can hear the 6.0 liter purr and you can envision the way it is going to feel when you take the car upwards over 100 mph. Sounds good doesn't it? Now, the only problem with that is, you have to WAIT.
Coming out of a crazy summer the number one question that staff and others ask is, "what are we doing this year?" "Good question" is often my reply. I fortunately have a problem that most other Student Pastors do not. My Pastor says, "Do whatever you need to do to reach this generation without compromising the gospel and the truth." WOW! Okay well, no limitations, no boundaries, no pressure! I could not put my finger on what exactly God was wanting to do this year in our Student Ministry. As the deadline for all the materials that we will print, cut off for information for the website, and school rapidly approached while the summer dwindled down, I kept thinking, "Okay God, well...I can smell the leather and feel the car rumbling, when can I take it for a spin?"
I was reminded of a couple of verses of Scripture reminding me about who God is and who I am in light of Him. In Isaiah 55:6-13 God is talking with Isaiah and reminding Him of who He is. Verse 8-9 kind of sums it up... "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." It seems to never fail that God waits in my book to the last second. But, in His time it is in perfect time. All summer long I have been racking my brain and searching my heart to try to see where God is going to lead us. I had no idea what God was going to do during the summer months.
During the summer I believe a lot of our students have made remarkable leaps and bounds spiritually. It was awesome because God showed up in a way that I never could have imagined and blessed in a way that I would never be worthy of. I saw students give their lives to God for whatever He sees fit. Some students answered God's call to full time ministry, some wanted God to have first dibs on where they go to college, who they date, and what they are going to pursue as a career. I was taken back by how our students forged new relationships with each other. It was amazing to see how the light bulbs kind of just came on and they "got it". They realized that they have only a small amount of time in High School to influence their peers, that they have gifts and talents for a reason and need to use them. They started to take ownership our their Student Ministry and I just went WOW! This is why I could not get any clear direction. God, You had other plans.
So after what has transpired in our ministry over the past few months God says, "Okay son, this is where you need to go and this is what you need to do, I just had to do a little work in some lives first." Talk about getting juiced up!!! It is like now the keys to the Vette have been tossed to me and God says take it for a drive.
So, now we are revving up for a great year in our Student Ministry. We have have received such good insight and feedback from our students on how to be more effective in reaching their believing friends and non believing friends. We have seen the hearts of many change from, "I have to" to "I want to". This just gets me juiced!!! or like I have been known to say, "jacked"!!!
I just personally love to soak up and enjoy these moments. The anticipation is high, the adrenaline is pumping and the mind and heart are flooded with dreams, visions and desires. I have to take just a moment to write this moment down in my heart and say, "God, once again Your ways are not mine and Your thoughts are not mine, thank you for showing me what You want us to do, and for working it out the way You have."
Now we are moving from the WOW moment and we are revving up to start the mad dash to make things happen. Training seminars for technology, small group seminars for adults and students, band practices, hours of visiting students and hours of prayer and studying. The mad dash is about to begin, and this year will be off and running soon. Thank you God for the blessings, thank you for the life change in our students because without it the direction You wanted us to go would not be possible.
