I just got back from SonQuest on Sunday. For those that don't know, SonQuest is a weekend retreat for teens from all around Florida. They hold it in Orlando every Labor Day weekend. I enjoy being a chaperone at SonQuest because I am able to get to know the teens from our church a lot better, plus the classes & speakers are really amazing.
All of the classes were wonderful & really made me think, but something one of the speakers said stood out amongst the rest. He made the illustration of our lives compared to a football game. When you watch a football game you see the plays & cheer for the touchdowns, but you never get excited over the huddle. The huddles are the times we regroup & plan for the game. Nobody rushes off to the bathroom & hurries back to watch the huddle. It's all about the game & how it is played. Life is the game, SonQuest is one of the huddles. We need to be careful not to celebrate the huddle. SonQuest, camp, retreats, etc. are great times to get together & build each other up, but how do we live in the time in between?
I saw many students who responded to the message & want to rededicate their lives to Christ. I think it is wonderful, but what if some of them are ones that I have seen do it before? At camp or retreats, these same students come forward & want prayers again & again. They say they are going to change their lives, but as soon as the "huddle" is over they are back to living the same way they had been before. What do you do with them? I want to be there for them, but it frustrates me. How do you teach them to live the game & that the huddle isn't what is important?
I guess right now I just have to focus living my life the way I should be & hope to be an example to the teens & to others around me.
So, do you live the game or celebrate the huddle?
1 comments:
From what I can tell (and lived in my own life) there's not so much you can do to really grab a teenager and get a message through to them -- it just comes with maturity & with time & with life experiences. I mean, I look back on my own life and think, "man, I really thought I had it all together, but I had no clue!" And I had a great upbringing & lots of special "huddles." But it wasn't until I was older that I really GOT it. IF I can even say that I "get it" now!! :o) Just be the best example you can be. Try to spend time with your youth in between the huddles and hope that you will rub off on them -- I guarantee their parents or guardians are hoping you will because parents of teens know that their kids will listen to others better than to them.
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