Prayer and Youth Work
I’ve been in plenty of youth ministry prayer times, and have led them myself, where we have prayed passionately for this or that young person, for strength for ourselves, for God to intervene. This is a valid form of prayer. But all too easily it becomes a way of us trying to persuade God to do what we think should happen. It’s fakery – we are pretending that we know what is the Godly thing to do, and if we just pray hard enough, God will join up to our campaign.
The best youth workers are the old ones. Talk to any youth worker who’s been doing it for 3 decades or more. They know that youth work, like any form of ministry to humans, is essentially mysterious. There are depths in people, and in communities, that we will never reach, motivations that will remain covered over, hurts that complicate lives despite the love we lavish on people. Young people will not conform to the cultural stereotypes we read about in the last ‘Gen whatever’ report that came out. They will respond to our approaches in confusing ways. They will tread paths that make little sense to us.
So when we pray for those we serve, we remember that if people are mysterious creatures, and if God is mysterious, then change and transformation will surely take an unexpected route.
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Hello – I think the best youth worker or welfar/social worker period- is the one that has worked on their biggest strength base, themselves. It is only then that thay can see another, and are not focused on hiding their own perceived weaknesses – insecurity. In the human services sector the worker is the resource. I believe it is not our experiences that directs our strengths, but our appropriate processing of these experiences. I have worked with mature workers who have done a lot of damage.
For me working on me, meant connecting my core from whence it came God, with this an internal integrity was tapped as well as insight. From going within and back one desires to be the best vehicle one can be, this means ongoing reflection acceptance and letting go. A time to process conditioninings. A time to decide what is unwanted baggage, what is not and to get the rest comfortable enough to carry. Daily reflectiion and connecting to your core that is God, on what was done well what may be improved – dont forget to love and laugh. Being……is what provides the real power, freedom and independenace. and is the light that shines for another.
I know wise eighteen year olds and idiots at maturity. Regardless of age, if one can do responsiblity and discipline, eighteen forever I say.