Something I learned about ministry by working with younger students during SLAM week was that most kids are way harder on themselves than they need to be. I had some really good conversations with my small group girls, on Tuesday where they vulnerably expressed their experience at SLAM and how they were hoping for God to work in them. With tears, many of them shared how hard this year has been for them, and how they felt lost. They shared that they felt far from God, they felt like they let him down because they hadn’t been trying to meet with him daily or doing the spiritual disciplines they knew they should because of how difficult the year had been on them.
But person after person, each of the girls testified to a powerful night of worship we had on Thursday night where God spoke to each of them in a specific way. I got to encourage them that even when we feel lost, God never loses us. And though they may still be going through valleys, even after a touch from Jesus, he will walk with them through it. I encouraged them to cling to Jesus, not trying to get “back” to who they used to be, but to let Jesus make them new each day. These kids were crying because they wanted to know God and be close to him, but they felt like they were failing. I was so thankful to get to be a voice of life and truth to tell them that God has got them, and he’s not letting go. To tell them that they’re doing really good, and God is proud of them for seeking him. Rather than being another voice of criticism in our already critical world, I learned that in ministry, younger students really need people to speak encouragement and LIGHT into them. Kids need to be believed in, and they need to hear it, that’s what I’m taking away from working with younger students during SLAM week.