Bobby Passmore
Gladstone Campus Life,
Youth for Christ, Portland
Mindy had been a part of my youth group before and had showed up sporadically to club. Eventually, she stopped coming due to work, school, and family. After a couple of months, she showed up again and was excited to get back into youth group and club and all of that. However, that night we talked about forgiveness. We talked about how big the universe is, and how God is so much bigger, and how tiny we are in comparison, yet God loves us enough to send His Son to die for us. We talked about God’s amazing power to forgive us and His desire to do so. We also talked about repentance, and how God’s forgiveness draws us into it and necessitates it.
Mindy had issues with that night’s message. She approached me afterwards and said, “I didn’t like what you said. You made me feel so small and insignificant and guilty, like my problems didn’t matter.”
That statement made me realize how unintentionally self-centered we tend to be: we treat God like He’s like some kind of minimum-wage secretary. We ask Him to take care of the issues that either don’t matter or stress us out, but we get upset when He asks more of us.
Mindy and I talked for a while afterwards and the conversation eventually led to Mindy realizing that she had put herself in the “boss’ chair,” and that God had taken a cubicle in her life. She told me that ever since she “took a break” from youth group, each day had felt frustrating and pointless, like she was stuck in some sort of rut. We prayed together and Mindy has been doing a lot better since.
Mindy’s situation is sadly becoming increasingly common. We forget the power of God stepping into our lives and how it changes us. When we try to subject God to our will, we miss out on His blessing in our lives. The next time you read the Bible or go to church, don’t ask, “How does this apply to me?” Instead, ask, “What can I learn from God here?” If we ask God for a clean slate but don’t turn from our ways and listen to Him, we’ll just wind up going nowhere. Mindy was confronted with this truth that night and it changed her perspective and her life. Hopefully, we can all learn from this. I know I did.
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