Direction: Finding Guidance and Peace

Workaholic in Youth Ministry. I’m a workaholic. Just ask my wife.

She’ll tell you about the countless times I make us just a few minutes late, or how she’s usually the one waiting for me to get ready for bed, because I want to “get a few more things done.”

As I spend time with youth pastors and others that love youth ministry, I find that similar urge, that drive to do something. We just look at each other and there’s this common understanding: “God has worked miracle after miracle in my life and satisfied my soul. My students–and their friend–need to know the truth, and I’m going to do whatever it takes.”

The crazy thing is that I find myself believing that the harder I work, the bigger difference I will make in students’ lives. That’s when I loose direction and get burned out. (Hebrews 10:18-22 is a shocking reminder of the intimacy we are called to have with God.)

It’s times like these I forget that it’s God who moves in people’s hearts and changes their lives–not all my work and good ideas.

So I’ve tried to form a few habits in my own life to keep my attitude and heart centered on God.

• Daily Quiet Reflection–Honestly, it looks different every day. Some days, I’ll wake up and lay in bed for 15 minutes, reading scripture. Other days, I’ll enjoy breakfast with the dog on my lap as I pray. And other times, I can’t do a thing until I’ve spent an hour alone with God. No matter the form, the difference it makes on my attitude and my ministry that day is unmistable.

• Days of Solitude–When is the last time you took an entire day to be alone with God, fast, and pray? It’s never easy to plan for, but I’m always glad I did it. It might be every month or every couple of months, but the important part is to make it a habit. I’ve found it’s best to make a small plan, like a few goals about some scriptures to read and what to pray about, but not to be married to those  plans because God might have something completely different for you that day.

• No Strange Expectations–The greatest thing that I’ve seen hinder myself and those closest to me in our relationship with God are our expectations. I’m not talking about expectations of Biblical truth. But sometimes we come to God and expect to “feel” a certain way or “hear an answer” to a specific question. These are expectations we created for ourselves, and we’re disappointed, sometimes even disillusioned when they’re not met. Instead, we should come to God with an open heart and a hunger to learn and grow, not in our own plans, but as He sees fit.

Habits like these are important to strengthen our own walk with God and our ministry, but they are not the bedrock of our faith. The steadfast love of Jesus Christ is our only hope, and our only hope to see ministry happen in the lives of our students.