the [true] heart of a youth leader

our patience had grown thin. our efforts were minimal. we were literally running on fumes. 

so we threw in the towel.

then, less than a month later, we found ourselves in full, heated discussion almost daily about the future of our middle school kiddos. one night, knee-deep in our (now usual) discussion, my husband stopped mid-conversation and said seriously, who else in the church right now is up late, sitting at the dinner table, pouring over the future of these kids and what they deserve? #facepalm the answer, my friends, was most likely no one.

God was speaking.

#tbh sometimes you have to follow God's leading, and let your heart catch up later.

so we did.

this week, i sat down to intentionally soak up the day's excerpt of 2 timothy for our church's bi-weekly women's study...and walked away with a leadership vision for our middle school youth ministry. haha! #frt the Lord's work seriously never ceases to amaze me. oh my...

and the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

2 timothy 2:24

GENTLE

gently lead them (isaiah 40:11). call them near with meekness (humility) and gentleness (2 corinthians 10:1). be pity-filled, courteous, compassionate (1 peter 3:8).

wisdom from above is first pure. then peaceable. gentle. easily persuasive. full of mercy and good fruits. impartial. sincere and unfeigned (james 3:17).

APT TO TEACH

hold fast the faithful Word you've been taught so you can: (1) exhort (2) convince those that contradict and speak against the Word (titus 1:9).

PATIENT
the definition in this context literally means enduring of ill - to hold oneself up against / put up with things that are worthless / depraved / noisesome. hellooooo middle schoolers! patience. cheerful, hopeful endurance. constancy. in longsuffering (mental / emotional strength in difficult times), forbearing one another in love with all lowliness and meekness (ephesians 3:13). forbearing...and forgiving (colossians 3:13).

doing this, you guys...doing this in meekness will allow God countless opportunities to (1) give them repentance "to the acknowledging of the truth" that they may (2) "recover themselves out of the snare of the devil" - who has taken them captive at his will (2 timothy 2:25-26).

wow.

excuse me while i spend the rest of my life working toward this approach #amiright?! but it's biblical. it's what we've all been called to do in any area of ministry we're in. we can't just enjoy bits and pieces of His Word. we've gotta take up the cross, too. their souls are worth it.

take heart...HE WILL BE YOUR STRENGTH.