Reciprocal Blessings?

As a youth I never participated in my church’s youth group. So I am unsure what originally drew me to get involved in the lives of church youth. Maybe it had something to do with swim coaching kids for five years and thoroughly enjoying their company and watching them grow. Maybe it was because I felt like I missed something when I was that age and now I am trying to relive that part of my life through the lives of our church’s youth. Whatever the reason, my wife Monica and I first became youth counselors when we lived in Hickory, NC. After moving to the Apex area and after Lee Barnes became a pastor, we were afforded another opportunity to participate in the spiritual lives of the senior high youth at Apex UMC. That choice to get involved has blessed my life to a degree that cannot be expressed with words.

Becoming a youth counselor is similar to a lot of things in life. You are inevitably bound to go through ‘highs’ and ‘lows.’ There are times when I am overcome with excitement, joy, and appreciation for what God is doing in the lives of young people, not to mention my own. And there are other times when I question if I have what it takes to mentor this group of people. Am I really making a difference? Sometimes I question whether God has really called me to this ministry with younger people. At the end of the day, I do believe I am called to actively participate in our youths’ lives and I relish the opportunity to offer them my support, love, and guidance through true friendship.

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven,” (Matthew 5:16) is not only one of my favorite verses from the Bible, it is also something I try to emulate. I can certainly tell you that our youth have been great examples for me in this way. I remember last year I had the opportunity to participate in the 30-hour famine with some of our senior high. During this fasting campaign, the youth were split into groups and given $40 and the instructions to go out into the community and do as much good as you can possibly do. The contest was to be judged to see who best utilized their time and resources.

Our group decided to use the money to buy food at BJ’s, assemble bag lunches, and then visit the homeless in Raleigh to distribute them. We bought the food and assembled more than 40 bags; complete with bottled water, then we drove up to downtown Raleigh. We split up the bags among the members of the group and walked into an area near Moore’s Square where we met several homeless folks who were hungry. We gave out the lunches in less than five minutes. It broke my heart to see so many people in need. I took the time acknowledge each person who received a bag from me with the phrase, “may God bless you.” I also took the time to look at the faces of the other members in our group. Their light was shining forth in such a way that I glorified God, thanking him for the opportunity to be in fellowship with this wonderful group of young people.

That group project is just one of many exciting examples of how the youth of our church serve in ways that lead me to praise God for them every single day. They selflessly serve in ministries such as small group and worship leading in 252 Basics, they take part in FamilyTime, they lead other small groups, and they participate in missions like Appalachian Service Project and Apex Outreach Service Project. Quite often on Sunday mornings you will find some of them teaching or helping in Sunday school classes of younger children. Incidentally, isn’t it odd that members of our youth are more likely to agree to substitute in a children’s Sunday school class than some parents are?

Our youth have had a tremendous impact on my life and undoubtedly the lives of many others in our community and our world. I pray that God will use me in a similar fashion to bless their lives as they continue to learn, dream, grow, and serve. If I could positively affect their lives half as much as they have affected mine, it would indeed be an answer to prayer.