Normally when I write, it’s for all to see, but from a reflective point of view…like you reading this is engaging me…
Today, I want to engage you. I have no idea how many of you youth out there read this, but there are few things I feel like I have to say. They’ve been sitting on my heart for so long I didn’t even notice them anymore. That is, until God moved me so much that it finally jarred its way loose…and I feel compelled to say a couple of things.
First, there are a lot of people who value you. I do…a lot. Your families do. This church does, but they don’t say it very clearly sometimes, actually almost never. I know, I know. They hired me. They have a plan in place to make sure that you get to know Jesus. But, I think sometimes, grown up people want young people to know Jesus for noble, yet pretty vanilla reasons…at first glance anyway. In fact, I’ll take some of the responsibility for that myself. We certainly don’t make the Christian life look all that different from most other things. We’ve made it look like a choice to live a life of a certain kind of discipline…and it is that, but not only that. We hope you want to be moral people and that all we tell you. In reality all we have done is made it easier for one of two things to happen: to either get down on church because there’s no life in it, or get down on church people because most are just like everyone else.
We’ve certainly robbed it of the kind of distinction that it deserves…because here, in this country (or city even) there isn’t much distinct about it.
I’m sorry for that…
The next few things, come from my own experience. You need to know them about me. I love God. I know that God loves me. Sometimes, though, I think God has a crazy way of letting me know it. When things like wars break out or hurricanes destroy cities or people we know die for seemingly no reason at all; a girl gets trapped inside a burning house, car accidents take either the life or well-being of people I know, people get hurt so deep from experiencing the cruelty of others…I start to have doubts. I get them just like anyone else. I even ask God ‘why?’ about the things I have doubts about. I get downright livid with God because I have this funny idea that because I don’t necessarily get answers, God must not be listening. I get afraid about things too. Sometimes I get afraid that many young people, like you even, will be pushed farther away from God because of something that I do (or don’t do). I have been hurt by people. I can remember at least 10 things that people have said or done to me that still hurt when I think about them. I have hurt people, too. I can remember the things I have intentionally said to hurt others.
Truth? The truth is that everyone gathered for worship is this way. The people you see every week are this way. Your friends are this way.
It took me a LONG time to be open to the fact that in order to be the most healed, the most protected, the most loved I’ve ever been meant that I had to let someone else be in control of that…it’s the control that I try to take back every single stinking day. Exposing myself was the hardest thing I ever tried to do. But when I did, I found something out. I was not the one that chose God. God had been chasing me, persuing me, wooing me and God, in fact, chose me…a long time ago.
I am NOT trying to convince anybody of anything other than to say that my story is not unlike many of your stories. I have anger issues, my parents are divorced, I went though a long bout of depression in college…I am so stinking normal it’s a little frustrating at times.
God values you. Whoever is reading this, God values you so much. Beyond what you might think about who God really is, a life with Christ is truly a step up from where most people find themselves. It’s a life of purpose. It’s a life that calls us to something bigger than ourselves. The Kingdom of God is at hand…it’s here, now, we’re living in it. Christ is calling us to speak out on behalf of the poor and oppressed. It’s a life that gives us hope beyond the rat race.
You are unique, and God made you that way. God wants to share all of His fullness with the fullness of you. God isn’t really down with conformity. God made you to flavor the world with your uniqueness. Spending time with God, and others that live God’s way, allows us to rise above the vanilla and become the flavors that make it special.
I love you all…already…J
Just needed to let you know… | 
