The month of October was full of beauty, learning, growing, and loving, with some stressing and worrying thrown in there. Wow. That sentence may seem simple to some, but it’s the first time I can genuinely say stressing and worrying have been the smallest things on my mind.
At the beginning of October, after much prayer and discernment from the Lord and from leadership, new team leaders were raised up and I was one of them. If you know me, you know that I’ve never considered myself a leader or anyone even capable of leading. I actually remember saying at training camp, “I’m more of a background character.” So needless to say, this was quite an adjustment. The first week of being team leader, my mindset was “I don’t know how to do this. Someone else could do it better. I don’t want to mess up. I want to do it right. I don’t want people to think I can’t do this.” And at the end of the day, each of those statements were true, and that’s the whole point. I don’t know how to do this, but I have God leading me and people surrounding me with encouragement and wisdom. Someone else could do it better, but God saw it fit to place me here in this season and I don’t intend on wasting this opportunity on doubting His plan. I don’t want people to think I can’t do this, but the truth is…I can’t…and that’s why I have to depend fully on God and His strength. (Thanks Frieda for calling out my flesh there). ;P
One thing I learned along the next few weeks was that leading doesn’t look like I thought it would. It actually doesn’t look much different at all. I learned that leading well means loving well. Loving my team, loving my ministry, loving my surroundings, loving strangers, tough loving, loving…period.
Another thing I learned is that you don’t have to have a title or a role in order to lead or love well.
During our time in Rudny, I met a boy in the youth group. I hesitate to even call him a boy because of his spiritual maturity. He is the most spiritually sound young man I have ever met. He translated for us a lot and you could tell he was nervous, but he pushed through. He spent time with us while the rest of the youth went into the city to explore. He leads prayer and worship in a room full of adults. He is 15 years old, and he is a leader.
Like most of my blogs, I want to end with a challenge.
Young people, teenagers, and youth, RISE UP. Don’t let people look down on you because you are young. You are ambassadors of Christ and you have influence over your generation. The things you are experiencing right now, in this day and age, are things that most never will. Use your experience. Use your power in Jesus. Use what God has done in your life to bring your peers to Christ. Don’t be afraid!
World Racers, when you go home from the Race, it will be easy to fall back into your old patterns, your old sins, and your old complacencies. Don’t forget everything you’ve learned. Don’t forget what God has taught you or what He has brought you through. Stand firm in the ways Holy Spirit has revealed Himself to you, and share that with others. People may not understand completely, but they will see the Lord in your life and your experiences.
To my older/wiser folk, use your wisdom and discernment to help grow the generations who are rising up. God did not call you to shame, compare, or judge. He called all of us to love. Love the younger generations. Speak life into them. Teach them what it means to love well.
To everyone, your story matters! You do not have to be in a specific role to make a difference or influence those around you. You do not have to be a certain age or be part of a certain group. And you do not have to be afraid. RISE UP! The Lord says we are more than conquerors through Christ. The Lord says to rejoice in your weakness, for His power is made perfect in weakness. Do not be conformed to the ways of this world, but be transformed. RISE UP!
