Hurry, Hurry, Hurry; Go, Go, Go!
This summer has flown by. We are over half way from when
school dismissed in early June to the start of a new school year. As some of
you know, this is my crazy time of year. Between youth group trips and the
normal craziness that comes with having a family with young kids, it’s just a
whirlwind for me! The first “big event” each summer for the Youthreach is a
trip to IMPACT at Lipscomb. The event itself feels like it was ages ago (I’ve
been to Charleston, SC and Spring Mill since then, and am in Chicago this
week). However, the message at the heart of IMPACT really stood out this year
and gave us a lot to chew on. There have been several times in the last couple
of weeks that I’ve gone back to think on it more and to really unpack how it
applies to my life personally. There were several facets to the message, but
one of the aspects that really hit me was the concept of living within our
present reality and being used by God for opportunities that are right in front
of us.
Ironically, it is this time of year that is so full of
ministry opportunities that I can easily miss out on the heart of what God
wants me to see. I can get so busy planning, organizing, and running at full
speed in youth ministry that I look right past something powerful that God
might be trying to show me. I might miss the point of why we are so busy; I
have to be careful to stop and re-center so that I don’t just survive the blur of a summer schedule,
but rather experience the greatness
of the mission I’ve been invited to participate in with the awesome teens in
our congregation. I am afforded the opportunities to see how God cultivates
spiritual growth in them, how He exposes them to their gifts and how to use
them to minister to the world, and witness the development of community in our
group that reflects Christ. Hopefully, the distraction of busyness doesn’t make
me miss these powerful opportunities to see God’s grace and mercy play out in
His Kingdom.
Not everyone shares the same distractions as I do. For some
of you, summer is the most laid back and relaxing time of year. However,
distractions can take many different forms. For many of us, we’ve allowed our
technology to consume us. We become so tied to what is on our phone, TV, or
social media that we don’t know what is going on the in the reality around us. Some
of us have turned things that aren’t overly important into idols that devour our
time, energy, and focus. I’m always amazed at how sports, designed as games for
recreational activity, run the lives of so many families in our culture and
create so much stress and frustration that they are now counter-productive to
their original intent. For some, the drive for success can lead us to a
perverted sense of what is important. Sin can darken our hearts from allowing
God to lead us in his desires. Whatever the case might be for you personally, I
hope that you will step back and ask honestly what it is in your own life that
keeps you from living out God’s full plan in your life. I hope we can be a
people who seek after God with all our being and witness the great things that he
has in place for us. As the author of Hebrews states in 12:1, “let us throw off
everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles”!
No comments:
Post a Comment