thank you

Occasionally people look at me like I’m crazy when I tell them I’ve been “doing” youth ministry for 9 years. I sleep on bus floors, I have a bag permanently packed at my house labeled, “Kipp Bed,” because I take it places with me so often, if I stay out late on Saturday night with my friends I always know I have to get up earlier than anyone else on Sunday morning to make it to work on time, I have high school students that text me all hours of the day and night, many days I sit through really loooooong meetings, and the hardest part is that I have to spend nights and days away from my husband and my boys…you get the point. Some days I do come home and think, “God, really? Really? I’m still doing this?”

But I’ve been thinking this week that youth ministry is really a lot like labor. Occassionally, for short bits of time, it really sucks (high school language here). You sweat a lot, you have long nights with little or no sleep, and sometimes you have to get crabby and yell at people. But for all of you parents that are reading this blog, you know what comes after that horrible labor. You get to look in the face of the most beautiful child in the whole world and know that God has called you to love this child. And you forget about that long, sleepless, painful, crabby night.

I woke up this morning and met a group of our youth who chose to get up early to go to worship together at another hotel. And as I sat with our group of high school students and chaperones that came with me, and as I listened to the scripture being read, and as I watched a thousand people jumping up and down and praising God, and as I joined hands in prayer with our small group in the middle of this large room, I was moved to tears. This. This is what God called me to. I get to love kids. I get to love Children of God. And I even get paid to do it. I am so blessed.

Parents, you are so blessed that you get to love these children. Parents, I am so blessed that you share these children with me so that I can love them, too. Parents, thank you for sending your children on this trip. Parents, thank you for loving your children so much that you sold Butterbraids, or served breakfast early on Easter Sunday, or ran around town putting together items for the Silent Auction. Parents, thank you.

Mama Lisa