Initiative

Recently I heard a group of youth workers talking about their winter retreats and how great it would be if they could get their adult volunteers to lead the event so they wouldn’t have to go. The discussion ended when another youth worker joined them and talked about how much he loved retreats and the impact they had on students. It started me thinking about how much initiative I see coming from youth workers. The majority of youth workers I encounter don’t seem to have tons of initiative. This is a scary statement for me because it’s the popular thing for youth ministry suppliers to talk about how much they love youth workers and not to criticize their lack of initiative.  My goal in writing this is not to point out youth workers as lazy but to challenge each one of us to be accountable for the gifts and responsibility God has given us. If you lack initiative, pick-it-up. Remember why you love students and get back to the work God has called you.  If you lack the passion for student ministry and have been just sitting around until something else comes along, please move on and allow God to birth a new passion inside of you. Only you and God know if you’re going at your top speed – I pray that God will give you the strength to continue on.