inspired.

Sometimes, I stress about my job. I worry about all the youth I haven't connected with. I worry that I'm not fun enough or honest enough. I worry that often the youth seem bored and disengaged. I wonder if what I do matters.

Then I have a moment when the amazing youth I work with remind me that God is doing something very real in them. And that I am blessed just to witness it.

At the youth lock-in on Saturday night, I set up some prayer stations and at one of them they wrote down some of the things that were on their hearts and laid them at the foot of a cross. Today, I was reading through what they wrote and I felt inspired by the beauty of their spirits.

Here is the list of their prayers:

family. friends. and life.
You are love, life and purity. I feel for anyone who does not yet know you.
My relationship and belief in God.
My parents and grandparents, all people in suffering, people dealing with pain or with handicaps.
The ones who are always there, Christ, family, relationships, long-lasting impressions and people who listen.
People who are suffering, loved ones, others, friends, people who feel alone and lost, Please help them feel better, God.
Bring me back.
People you love, ones who love you, church, sufferers, ones who help, family and friends.
My family, old friends, lonely people, my aunt, people with incurable diseases.
Home, new opportunities, love, life, family, friends, those who are suffering and those in need.
Life , love, worship, family together, home, friends, and joy.

I am humbled by their compassion and their honesty. Their hunger for God in their own lives and their hunger to see God comfort and heal the lives of others is amazing.

I can't believe I get paid to hang out with these incredible people. Today, for at least a little while, I set aside my worries and was simply thankful. Through them, God touches me.