Get a Clue!

I have had the opportunity over the last couple of days to talk with homeless teens that need to come up with a plan so they can do more than exist. I will say often to my group that few plan to fail intentionally but when you fail to plan guess what – you fail intentionally. I know that having a road map for life is so key to seeing God work, lives turn around and great things happen for the kingdom. So why is it so difficult to plan, follow through and look back on the blessing of thinking life out?

I have been privileged to have a group of college students help out over the last year with doing our work with little kids, teens and families. I can remember back to my college days and know honestly that I lived day-to-day or even hour-to-hour. I didn’t think much about big life questions or how I could impact the world around me. I was blessed to be involved with an amazing Inter Varsity Chapter that had lots of servant leaders that help mold me into a person that did care and want to make a difference.

The challenge for desiring to connect with more people and be more networked to do a better job of doing community service means I have to communicate ahead of time and not get bent out of shape if I have to remind people often. I know that some people are well intentioned but are the type to not really commit until the last minute or not communicate much if any at all. So the opportunities I face mean that I have to continue to reach out to my friends and politely bug them to step up and make a difference.

I have to be tough with these teen guys who are now a part of my life and household. It is so easy to live in a fantasy existence where I use others and don’t make much effort to change my circumstances. I know that parents, myself included, can at times be inflexible, stubborn or just mean which makes it tough for a teen to get a handle on life. I tire of both teens and adults who assume that someone else should have to do the dirty work for them and that they don’t need to get a job yet. The challenge for the guys I’m around is that they will end up sleeping on the street and go hungry.

It isn’t easy to know how to motivate someone to be different from their surrounds. I have examples of kids and adults who have ample opportunities to rise above their circumstances but choose to do zero. I have others who come out of even worse situations who are light years ahead. I always ask myself the question why is there such a stark difference? I know that beatings and torture don’t work too well and that most teens and adults react big time to someone screaming at them or telling them that how they are living is all wrong.

I can remember back to my college days and being fortunate to have parents who were very supportive but allowed me the freedom to make my own decisions and even at times fail. The example and role models my mom and dad provided continue to impact my life today. I think what is difficult for me and others to comprehend is what it would be like to not have many or any role model figures in your life. How am I going to learn about pursuing more education, applying for a job or saving money if someone didn’t help me learn this? Is it possible to really understand love and commitment if I haven’t experienced it through others?

Please pray for my teen guy friends who need to come up with a real plan for their lives. They don’t have family that is capable of helping at present. They need to finish school, get into college, get part time jobs, be honest about their circumstances and most of all seek God’s help. It is exciting to see someone get it and it is also tragic to see someone lose their life because of foolishness that happens with alcohol and guns.