Youth Worker BOOST: The Long And Good Life

ym360 knows youth workers. We know what an incredibly rewarding, yet incredibly challenging job youth ministry can be. There are days when your spirits are sky-high, and there are days when you could use a bit of a “pick me up” from God's Word . . . That's why we're happy to offer Youth Worker Boost, one of the many valuable resources on the ym360 Blog.

Boost is a short, weekly piece of encouragement designed to, well, “boost” your spirits and encourage you as you minister to students. We consider it yet another great opportunity to serve you and your ministry.

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"Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."  Psalm 34:12-14  

I’ve been known to ask students a ridiculous question from time to time. Sometimes, I even do it on purpose ☺. That’s why I like David’s question here in verse 12. Who doesn’t want to live a life that is long and good? When faced with the choice, who says, “No, I think I’ll take short and crummy”? There aren’t a whole lot of (sane) people choosing door number 2.

So what does David say is the key, and how does it apply to our ministries?

David says that in order to live and long and good life we must watch our tongues, keep from lying, turn away from evil, and instead, seek good. Now, we know that this laundry list of suggestions isn’t a magic formula. Plus, we know we can’t do all of these things all of the time. So what’s David getting at?

I think we can find the key in the last phrase of verse 14. “Seek peace.” When we think about the absence of peace, we think about conflict. And it seems that the vast majority of our conflict on this earth comes from our relationships. So much of the frustration we experience in our lives is relational in nature! Don’t believe me? Look at this list of relationships and think about the last time there was a problem that originated with one of them:

• Spouse
• Child
• Supervisor
• Fellow Staff Member
• Adult Volunteer
• Student
• Student’s Parent(s)

You see, if our relationships are in order, life will feel blessedly long and sweet. If our relationships are out of whack, life won’t be so sweet, and we may wish it were considerably shorter! There are so many aspects of living a godly life that we are called to focus on. Doing our part to maintain healthy relationships is an important aspect of making sure our ministry lives and personal lives are fruitful and God-honoring.

While it’s not a fun exercise, take a moment and really consider what relationships in your life need work. Then, commit to doing whatever it takes to make sure you’re holding up your end of the deal.

Our prayer for you: We pray that today you would listen to the conviction of the Spirit and make the effort to repair any relationship that is a roadblock in your life.

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