Looking forward in hope

 

What an amazing year it has been! For the past few weeks I have been thinking back to when I first got here and all the blessings and challenges that awaited me. I have to say as I look ahead, I not only see our youth group, but indeed our whole church marching into the hope and promise of God’s light. I was telling a youth recently that I live on faith and that because there is a God, I always believe that there will be hope. This youth responded with “Yes, but I don’t always have hope or faith in people”. After working with teenagers for over 9 years it still amazes me how sometimes their outlook on life and people is so dire, but then I think we all think like that from time to time. Scripture tell us in John 1: 5 that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” So as we can see Christ is the hope that should live in each of us. Believe me, I know that there are some days it is so hard to find that hope; but it is during those times where we must look deep inside ourselves and hold tightly to our faith in God. In my own life I have gone through some hard times, so of which were brought on by unwise choices that I had made, other times it was simply the situation that had come about in my life. I am consistently telling the youth that I am a living example of a person who went through some really hard times in his life, and yet I had faith in Christ that it would work out. From that faith, hope was born and resided in my heart and soul.   So each day I get up and say “God, how best can I serve you today? What can I do for you so that my faith might ever deepen in You?”. As we enter the Lenten season we are told that it is good to give up a habit or a craving, something that we normally take for granted, and use this time of sacrifice to grow closer to God.        My encouragement to each of you, including our youth, would be to give up something in your life that has perhaps prevented you from having a deeper faith in God.

 

Maybe you have been angry at someone, perhaps it the late hours you spend on work rather than on family or friends, maybe it’s the extra hour of sleep that you normally enjoy that could be used in devotion and prayer to God. Whatever it might be there is something that each of us could give up not only for Lent but for the rest of our lives. Because once we give up that hindrance, oh the blessings that will be poured out upon our heads. Not only will your faith deepen in Christ but from that faith a profound hope in the One who is will come forth, perhaps with this new found hope your outlook on life will be that much more positive.

~ Jack Warren

 Youth Minister