We trust in God

I trust you...
....with my life.
This past week I’ve been reflecting on Psalm 56. In my confirmation class on Wednesday night we started with a breath prayer. As I breathed in I said the words “I trust you...” as I breathed out I said the words “...with my life.” This is the biggest challenge I face. The next morning during my Sabbath ritual I read the whole of Psalm 56. What I found interesting is that the psalmist began by saying, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Later in the writing the phrases were reversed, “In God I trust, I am not afraid.” The simple reversal of words changed my outlook.
It’s one thing to say I’m afraid therefore I put my trust in God and it is something completely different to say I place my trust in God and therefore I’m not afraid. When we operate out of a place of fear we get to a point where we reach out because we can’t handle things anymore. We want to let go of the responsibility we hold on to in hopes of being released from the fear. I believe we see examples of this every day for our culture has become very reactionary.
When I think about Youth and Young Adult Ministry I think more often than not we start from a place of fear, and anxiety, but not trust. Often Youth Ministry is established in congregations and presbyteries because of the fear that the church will die without the youth, or fear that our children and youth will be lost in our world and have no faith.
Psalm 56 reminded me that we need to push ourselves to begin in a place of trust. The psalmist speaks the reversed phrase twice...I place my trust in God therefore I’m not afraid. I think it is said twice because it is often harder to do.
I’ve also started to wonder if our National goals for Youth and Young Adult Ministry start from a place of trust or from a place of fear, and if indeed it is a place of fear how can we change this so that God’s mission can be fully realized rather than letting our own agendas get in the way. Does the Call to Purpose which evolved out of the last national meeting start from a place of trust or fear?
Taking Sabbath time has helped me to start from a place of trust in my life and in my ministry. When we are in a balanced state we can stay in that place of trust because our anxieties won’t get the better of us.
When we act out of fear we bend over backwards for the youth just to have them there. We bring the frills we try and make it fun and exciting, but I wonder what we are truly giving them. Moreover when we react and act from a place of fear we often ignore our instincts, or we rush to find a volunteer who may have little to no training. I wonder what the youth and the volunteer truly gain from this?
Friends may trust in God! Blessings, Karen