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Sit Back and Get...Uncomfortable |
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Article by Chelsea Suttle— © February
2008
Even though I have graduated from high school
and have moved on to the next stage of life, I would still
consider myself to be a kid at heart. I recently accepted a
job at my church to work with the youth group and in turn I
feel like I have discovered the fountain of youth.
My first thoughts about the job centered on the fact that all
I had to do was hang out with some high school students during
their lunches, go cheer at some basketball games, and take out
a group a girls to a movie occasionally. Doesn't sound so bad
when you put it that way! In fact, if I asked several adults
if they could go back to their high school years I think they
would do it in a heartbeat. Whatever the case may be, I can
assure you that working with these high school students has
been the most uncomfortable blessing I could have ever received.
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Anxiety and Self Consciousness
Rather than stepping back into a high school sure of myself and
feeling like I "owned" the place, I stepped right back into those
feelings of anxiety and self consciousness from my own high school years.
I didn't know that it would be so easy for a 16 year old to blow me off and
knock me right back off of my pedestal. Needless to say, it didn't take long
for me to regret ever agreeing to let catty girls roll their eyes and scoff
at me while the boys used me as the butt of 90% of their jokes.
It took less than a week to be on my face in front of God begging
Him to get me out of this. I thought there was no way I could handle it or
possibly have a positive influence on any teenager's life. But, being the
God that He is, He had a much bigger plan for me, and one that lasted longer
than one week.
Here I am about six months later, loving what I do and counting
my blessings daily that I have so many students to care for. My heart nearly
bursts from my chest when I'm recognized in the hallways by one of my girls
who runs up to give me a hug, or even one of my guys who wants me to "pound
it" or give him a high five. I can honestly say that these incredible
high school students probably do more for me than I could ever do for them.
Helping Us Grow
If I have learned anything from this experience it's that God usually chooses
the times of great discomfort and anxiety to help us grow as people and in
a relationship with Him. It has taken a great amount of faith and a lot of
reliance on God to provide students who are willing to learn and needing
a relationship with me. I guarantee that if God wasn't in control, I would
have quit after week one. God kept after me though, and I wouldn't have it
any other way.
When I find myself getting comfortable with my surroundings and my students
I know it's time to bow out my chest and step onto the next branch. While
it never really gets easier to put myself out there with the chance of defeat,
God always delivers and always makes it worth it.
The Lord is always working for the good and occasionally the "good" is
the product of many defeats and many falls before we reach the top of the
mountain.
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Author Information:
Chelsea Suttle is a college student and works as an outreach
specialist at Cross Timbers Church. Her mission is to connect with middle
school and high school students and in turn connect them to the youth ministry
and ultimately a relationship with Christ. Visit Cross Timbers
Church online
at www.crosstimberschurch.org
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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978,
1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout
the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for
the offering of goods or services requires the prior written
consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All
rights reserved.
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"If
anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take
up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever
wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his
life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to
gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?"
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