" Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us."
Colossians 1:9-12 (The Message)
It has been a busy, stressful, hectic few weeks here at Youth Ministry Head Quarters (I think i will call my office that from now on, btw.)
Breakfasts, Retreats, fund raising, Confirmation... All of these things in the span of about a month.
I have some friends that joke with me that I have the easiest job in the world. I take youth like you out to eat, bowling, and watch movies. I always laugh when people say that to me, because they have no idea what I really do in a week. Generally speaking, my days are filled with tedious data entry, record keeping, meetings, seemingly pointless phone calls and the like. There are days that I feel overwhelmed, stressed, and honestly wonder why I got into the youth ministry business.

When those days hit, I try to think of what God has really called me to do, not only at work, but in life. Yesterday was one of those days, and a friend shot me this verse in a message this morning and I had one of those "duh, of course" moments.

I'm sure you've had them too, when something is so obvious that you totally miss the whole point.

I know that God isn't calling me to just hang out with kids for a living, He's calling me to do the most important job there is, Spread his Word to people who need to hear it. You guys. What a blessing to be in the position I am in, hanging out with the coolest group of kids there is, having fun while doing it, and being able to share the true Love of Christ through it all.

When times get tough for me, I have to remember that God never promised a walk in the park. He told us we would have struggles. But what gets us through is amazing. We have people who pray for all of us. God gives us wisdom to see where He wants us to go in life. He is Proud of us!

Times get tough, no doubt, but God gives us the strength to bear the troubles, just like he gives us the ability to enjoy the blessings he gives us.  I love how this verse puts it:
As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us."
He gives us the strength to get through everything! We can handle all things that come our way, and not just the "grin and bear it" kind of strength. But the strength that leads to joy in a job well done, through Christ.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is this:

I have hard times, you have hard times. Days come where we don't see the point of trying any more because we feel so far from the finish line. When those days come remember the promise God gives us, He will make us strong. He will give us the strength that leads to overflowing joy, a joy that cannot be contained. At the end of the day, that joy is what people will see when they see us, and let me tell you, Joy is like a cold, it is crazy contagious!(but it wont make you sneeze on people)

Get out there, do your best knowing God will get you through it.
It's a marathon some days, not a sprint. When you sprint, you get tired fast. Pace yourself. Let God show you the path to win the race.

Have a great weekend!

See you on the flip side!

 


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