From Head to Heart

We had our last youth leader meeting of the school year today. Now it is time to "relax" for the summer...or so we are told. Our youth ministry is so blessed to have an intern for the summer, her name is Katie. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and am really looking forward to the summer!

So, during our meeting Kevin let us ask her questions. One question she was asked was if she would recommend her school to other students. She said yes, but then she made this statement that has had me thinking all day. She said that the one thing that she has struggled with, and seen others struggle with, at Bible college is that you get a lot of head knowledge and it doesn't always transfer to your heart. She talked about how it is sometimes hard to keep that in check and not let it go to your head. That you have all of this knowledge and no ministry experience. (That is so a paraphrase, I have 2 kids and no exact memory)

I totally got that statement. I also went to Bible college and have struggled with that myself. Oh how I wish I would have realized it then instead of years after graduation. All day I thought about a lot of things. I thought about how I handled our church split that happened while I was there. About how my friends reacted when I started dating my husband (who was not a student there). I thought about how my relationships with my friends back home suffered and how I treated my parents. I think about how I thought (and still do sometimes) I know everything about ministry.

Now that I have been actually working in ministry for a little over a year I am coming to realize that the struggle still continues. There is always that little part of me that thinks that I can do it better or I could revolutionize something. And then I am like, whoa - step back a have a reality check. Any ministry I, or anyone else is involved in is God's. All His. He moves in the heart of people to do His will. Isn't He so awesome and gracious to use us at all. Thanks God for using us in spite of ourselves. Thanks for moving in our hearts and for friends that we can count on to knock a little reality into situations!