was it worth it
I thought about telling you a sad story about my lack of sleep and stress leading up to this past weekend. Then I realized that I never questioned the price that had to be paid for PowerHouse 2005. I love those teens, and seeing them on fire for God is worth at lot more than I could ever put into PowerHouse.
I thought about the price I paid for my job. Was being here with great teens and new friends worth leaving all my friends in Abilene and the full-time education atmosphere? While the verdict is officially still out on this one, I’m gonna have to go with a hearty “heck-yes”.
I’m not really the type to get philosophical on blog posts, but I think that this weekend has reminded me of the question of “is it worth it”. Life in general can be crappy, and it doesn’t get any easier when you take on Christ. I see teens excited about their new journey with Christ and I worry about our ability to provide them the support system needed to make it through the trial and turmoil of life. Faith isn’t easy. Bad stuff happens and we are left to find a matrix in which a loving God fits with evil in the world. Are the normal pains of life and philosophical uncertainties worth the end? In the world of philosophy, does the ends really justify the means? Is the virtue of perseverance worth suffering loss? I certainly hope so.
It’s this messy side of faith that we don’t talk about much in youth ministry (or ministry in general for that matter). We are really good at getting kids excited about Jesus and the fact that they can be forgiven, but we don’t prepare them for dealing with the stuff that lives throws at you. We never have a youth rally that talks practically about dealing with temptation or loss, or how to handle faith in a pluralistic society. For me, these are some of the hardest things about faith.
How do we equip people to deal with this kind of stuff? How do we convey the worthiness of faith in the light of tragedy? I don’t really know, but I do know that whatever the cost of walking alongside people in the faith journey will be worth it.
I thought about the price I paid for my job. Was being here with great teens and new friends worth leaving all my friends in Abilene and the full-time education atmosphere? While the verdict is officially still out on this one, I’m gonna have to go with a hearty “heck-yes”.
I’m not really the type to get philosophical on blog posts, but I think that this weekend has reminded me of the question of “is it worth it”. Life in general can be crappy, and it doesn’t get any easier when you take on Christ. I see teens excited about their new journey with Christ and I worry about our ability to provide them the support system needed to make it through the trial and turmoil of life. Faith isn’t easy. Bad stuff happens and we are left to find a matrix in which a loving God fits with evil in the world. Are the normal pains of life and philosophical uncertainties worth the end? In the world of philosophy, does the ends really justify the means? Is the virtue of perseverance worth suffering loss? I certainly hope so.
It’s this messy side of faith that we don’t talk about much in youth ministry (or ministry in general for that matter). We are really good at getting kids excited about Jesus and the fact that they can be forgiven, but we don’t prepare them for dealing with the stuff that lives throws at you. We never have a youth rally that talks practically about dealing with temptation or loss, or how to handle faith in a pluralistic society. For me, these are some of the hardest things about faith.
How do we equip people to deal with this kind of stuff? How do we convey the worthiness of faith in the light of tragedy? I don’t really know, but I do know that whatever the cost of walking alongside people in the faith journey will be worth it.
posted by Jessica @ 11/07/2005
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