Oh to be a teenager

I love teenagers so much – which is good since my job is working with them.  Its just, that sometimes I feel like I was so lucky.  Or maybe I think I am lucky now because I survived middle school and high school.  But I don’t remember it being that hard.  I know that in middle school it started out pretty rough but I honestly feel that once I got past that stage…oh wait – I just entered into another one after that.  Okay – maybe I wasn’t so lucky after all.  But I do know that through it all I KNEW what I needed to be and who I was – I knew that I needed God and I knew that I was his child.  That was the easy part for me.  What makes me so sad is how it’s not so easy for most teens to remember that.  In all of my experiences God came out the victor and I knew he would be.  Even when things were hard – I knew God was in control.  Why?  Why was it so easy for me and is so difficult for them?  I dont know why but I do know that I am here now and God has called me to these particular teenagers and so I will try to do what I can with what I have been given.  

Everyday I have been reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  For the most part it has been very good.  Sometimes I am not entirely in agreement with him but usually he says something that challenges me all day long.  This morning was interesting. 

“The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other peoples souls until they learn to feed on God.  They must drain you completely – to the very last drop.  But be careful to replenish your supply, or you will quickly be utterly exhausted.  Until others learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus directly, they will have to draw on His life through you.  You must literally be their source of supply, until they learn to take their nourishment from God.  We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and sheep, as well as for him.” 

Whoa.  This was huge for me this morning because it brought so much more to why I myself must be grounded in the Lord.  I mean, most of these teens don’t know what they are doing every single day.  I am a leader to the student leaders and to the rest of the youth group – and some of these students do not know how to draw on the life of Christ, they do that through me.  Which is scary and overwhelming and is a huge responsibility.  That is why it is so important that I am continually being filled with the Spirit and letting the overflow from that pour out on those who are not quite there yet. 

Oh pray for me and them!