hebrews 10.25b

I had a gift this weekend. I was on the Winter Retreat with our High Schoolers up at Southwind, and my task was the teaching for our students plus those of two other churches. My aim was to retell the story of Jonah in three episodes: run, rescue, and response(s), and I had worked hard for the last month on the content that might best show the intersection between Jonah’s story, God’s story, and our own stories. The problem was … I felt I was totally failing. Sometimes I’m not the best at creating connections with groups I speak to, but I was trying hard … and sensing nothing – nothing Saturday morning, nothing Saturday night. I was missing the mark with them. I talked to some of our students and leaders about it, and sure, they all managed to explain it away. But I was down.

It felt a little better after Sunday morning, but I was still dispirited about the whole thing. Then at lunch, Will (the camp manager for Young Life) told me that he thought I had done a really great job with the students that morning. That was a huge encouragement to me, but I confessed I’d felt a failure the whole weekend. He tried to reassure me by saying that as an 11-yr veteran of teaching English to high school kids, he could really tell when the connection was there and the students were responding. I was humble and grateful. It meant so much, coming when (and from whom) it did. It encouraged me; it literally gave me heart. So Will – thanks. It was enough for that day. And may we do it for each other, each day – and all the more as that Day is coming.