grow - toniele brennan
16th August 2010 by Julia Hosking
I don't know about you, but I find it so hard sometimes when you see those that you care about hurt so much ...
Sometimes you feel helpless, you feel their pain or maybe you even feel overwhelmed, with a sense of frustration and anger because you can see so much potential for them, yet they cannot see it for themselves!
It's hard to know how to respond, hey? What to do, what to say. You just want the best for them! You want them to be a part of this journey; a part of this amazing grace and the Kingdom of God that is before us. But that can seem so hard sometimes, and the easiest option is to walk away, ignore them for a couple of weeks or speak negative words over their life?
Being a youth worker, seeing kids not making the most ideal decisions is something that challenges me on a daily basis, but a challenge that I love to learn and grow from. Seeing kids and friends that are so consumed with worldly desires and temptations, and engaging in what we define as "risky behaviour" absolutely breaks my heart. I am sure many of us can relate to that at some point.
But as sad as this reality is around us, what is our response? To LOVE them regardless. To not judge or condemn, but to be patient, to have hope and to love them as Christ loves us! Some recent study I have undertaken challenged me with the question: "From a Christian perspective, what is the difference between youth work and youth ministry". My response was that in either situation or context, we are still called to reflect Christ.
The fact of the matter is we don't have to be in ministry to reflect Christ, we can do that any day, and do you know what? Why rip anyone off the chance from seeing who Christ is! A dear friend once said to me, "We may be the only Bible someone will ever read". Now there is definitely some reality in that, so why rip off our friends, colleagues or family from that opportunity, regardless of what they are doing or have done!
There is a hurting world, a hurting generation around us, so let's not walk away but rather see opportunities to reflect Christ to those around us. Let's show them and give them a taste of what it means to be a Christ follower!
The next time we see our friends and family hurting or making the wrong decisions, let's love them and speak life into their situation. Let the life we display and live, and the words that come out of our mouth restore a hurting generation!
We believe in a God of the present, and reckon there is always something that you can share with others about God’s work in your life. Whether you’ve shared a story before or not, don’t be put off submitting three, four or twenty save-grow-serve stories! Don't delay, click here today!
save. grow. serve.
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Comments
I consider buying hair products, nice dresses and make up to be wordly. What is your advice on that.
Hmm interesteing take that you have on this,
my best advice is that charity starts at home - look at yourself before trying to help everyone else,
@Sharni:
I also like buying these things... is that bad? i could go for a new dress at the moment
@Jake - it only bad if you call urself a christian, because it says itself in the bible that your not suppose to adorn youself
1 Timothy 2:9-10
and also in John
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.