A powerful verse. A challenging verse. Hopefully an inspiring one as well. For anyone that knows me well, will know that I'm very passionate about working with children and young people. I've spent the last 3 years of my life doing it full time, and even before that I was heavily involved in working with youth. There is many different scriptures that I could pull out of the Bible highlighting the importance of working with young people. Yet, this one really spoke to me and is a real inspiration for me to be in youth ministry: to have vision, to dream and to be passionate.
A big part of my life and ministry is summer camps. Everyone loves camps; the kids, the leaders, absolutely everyone. I really get into the swing of camps very easily - the routines, building new relationships, even the early mornings start to seem normal! I usually get very close to the young people that I meet at camps; we share laughs, sometimes tears and always good conversation. I am really thankful that God has blessed me with what I can only assume is 'favour' with the young people, and this makes my job a lot easier in getting to know them. Last week, from the 3rd - 10th August, I had the pleasure of serving our Father in yet another camp for young people. It took place in Ballycastle, up the North Coast, and we got 25 special and talented individuals aged 9-11. As usual my time at this camp was so good that I can't really justify it with words. It was special for me personally, as it was my first camp back in Northern Ireland for a long time. I wasn't really looking forward to coming home from Latvia in all honesty, but after doing this camp God has really changed my heart and welcomed me back to Northern Ireland; home.
We all see talents and gifts that children are good at. We can see that whilst one will be good at football, another may be good at dancing. Maybe, one is kind hearted and serving. This week was no different, but I also experienced something that I didn't before. I saw potential. Not potential for sports or success financially. I saw potential for great men and women of God. Especially spending some time with the lads in dorm groups, God really let me see them through His eyes and witness the potential they have in them to become great ambassadors for Christ's Kingdom. Through praying with them, reading the Bible with them and even just being around them seeing who they truly were for one week led me to be greatly encouraged and inspired.
Problem. It's a one week camp. After camp, everyone went back to their own families, towns and Churches. As much as I love camps, I get really down after them. I experience what me and my friends joke about as 'The camp hangover'. It's not just because I have great fun at the camps, or miss the children with whom I've made good friendships. It's more than that. It's knowing that I won't be able to disciple and have an influence in these individuals' lives or faiths any more. After my stages of sadness and even annoyance following camp, I left writing about camp for a few days purposely hoping that God would reveal something to me. God is faithful, and He did. Although, it's not an easy lesson for me to learn and tough to appreciate. Check it out:
'It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.' - 1 Corinthians 3 v 7 + 8
Planting seeds / Watering potential / Harvesting fruit
I realise that I love telling people, especially young people, about Jesus. I love to plant seeds.
But actually, I love watering the plants. I love to be part of the person's life: inspiring and challenging growth.
Who doesn't love seeing results? I also love witnessing the results, harvesting the fruit of labour: seeing a young person grow into a great witness for Jesus.
Problem. Sometimes you can only do one. Camps like this one are an example. Maybe during this camp I planted seeds, and perhaps I also watered some plants. Is it wrong that I want to continue this work? No of course not, but that's what I want to do. It's not selfish per say, because I'm doing for God's glory. But maybe, I'm being a little short sighted. God can see it all. He has the vision and the knowledge to know that I'm needed for one week in a child's life, and afterwards He will use another person for another reason. It's very easy to want to do it all. Maybe by our logic, or our desires, it seems like the best. But God has His own logic, and He taught me a little bit about that wisdom over the last few days.
I wanted to share my lesson. To encourage you guys who are maybe as confused as I was. I hope this can also be a learning curve for others and that, whilst this shouldn't discourage you in doing as much as you can for Jesus, we should realise that God has a bigger plan in peoples' lives. Sometimes we don't get to see the results. But that doesn't mean there won't be any. If He uses us for a mere week, we need believe that He did it with good reason and to trust God to continue that work in the young peoples' lives when they do return to their everyday lives.
PRAY! Pray for the children that were at my camp please. The potential is overwhelming! So pray for them to stay strong and hold tightly to what they heard at camp last week. Let them cling to the Word of God, and treasure it in their hearts. Let it be their joy, peace and refuge through the tough times. Pray mainly that God continues to grow the seeds that were planted in their hearts, through other people watering it and other people harvesting the fruit. Although, camp is a week long, we do have a longer responsibility to commit to supporting these kids through prayer.
Thanks for reading. Be blessed.
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