Shanking the Shot...

Youth ministry is like playing golf-its hard!! You’ve got to hit that little white dimpled ball, with this little, skinny club, into this little white cup, surrounded by sand traps, water hazards, and rolling hills….and if you’re like me, nine out of ten times the ball doesn’t go where you want it to go.

Youth ministry is the same. You’ve got only a few hours a week with students, dealing with their very short attention spans to hopefully speak a little bit of truth into their lives. And again, nine times out of ten I blow that opportunity.

BUT

There’s always that one “shot” that lands on the green, that one fifty foot putt that we sink, and that one talk that we give that we see a glimmer of recognition in the eyes of a student that keeps us coming back for more.

Though, those nine out of ten failures can definitely be a drag on us mentally and spiritually…

Today, I’d like to share with you some “Truths” that will hopefully help you push through those frustrations that we all encounter in youth ministry and encourage you to keep anticipating those positive breakthroughs.

1. Take care of yourself spiritually.

Those of us who work or volunteer in Youth Ministry are the greatest abusers of spiritual well being. We go nonstop from one event to another to one meeting to another, to one phone call to another. Slow down!! Read some scripture that you will NOT be teaching on later, go on a retreat just for YOU, spend some time alone with God. We’re definitely not the energizer bunny, we can not keep going and going and going…

2. Dwell on the positives

Let’s face it, Youth Ministry is full of messes sometimes. Kids are inconsistent, they don’t commit, families question your skills as a youth worker, even your senior pastor might not quite support you in everything that you do. It’s easy to get bogged down with the negatives, but we must break that cycle. The positives WILL come and when they do we need to celebrate them and party like its 1999 all over again!

3. Give yourself permission to say “NO!”

Who knew that two little letters could hold so much meaning and power? Many of us are “people pleasers.” We want people to like us and we want to be everything to everyone. When we do that, we just leave ourselves open to getting to spread thin and eventually burn out. God wants us to be effective in our ministries and He wants us to be healthy. Practice it, say it, let it become your montra. and when the REALLY important things come along, you’ll have the time and energy to do them well and with enthusiasm. Also, you give yourself the time to spend time at home with your spouse or family or both. We need to stop hurting the ones we love the most, we need to give ourselves permission to say NO!!

The good and the bad, frustrations will come, but because we know they will we can prepare. I’m hoping and praying that you are taking care of yourself, focusing on the postives, and saying “no” a little more often and saying YES to being a healthy youth worker.