oceans.

It’s way too early on a summer Sunday morning when my alarm goes off, 3:30 am to be exact, but the excitement that was ahead was all the energy I needed to jump out of bed, get dressed, grab my bags and jet out the door! Why the excitement at such an early hour? I was embarking on a week long journey to Panama City Beach, Florida with over 100 high school students from our youth group. A week full of much more than just beach time, games, hanging by the pool and staying up late…this was a week full of expectant hearts that wanted to see more of Jesus. Draw closer to Him and catch a greater glimpse of who He really is.

Every time I’m at the beach, I’m reminded of one of my favorite worship songs, “Oceans!” Standing where the water meets the sand, waves crashing into me, I’m looking into the great unknown, as far as my human eye can see, thinking and praying these words over and over…

     Sprit lead me where my trust is without borders,

     let me walk upon the waters,

     wherever You would call me.

 

     Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander,

     and my faith will be made stronger,

     in the presence of my Savior.

 

We had only been in Florida 24 hours and I knew that our week would be a challenge. Both students and leaders were going to be stretched in new ways, the Holy Spirit would disrupt the normalcy of our lives and perhaps we might just experience Jesus in a way we have never before. What would that look like? What were the expectations of this week?

My hope and prayer was that every student would look out into the great unknown, allow Jesus to take them deeper than they could ever wander on their own, and most importantly trust Him. Trust that Jesus was there with them. Leading them, walking with them, pursuing them! I knew that there were many students who were hurting, lost, discontent and confused. Seeing the students I love so much wrestle so hard, hurts me. It breaks my heart. I wanted nothing more than for each student to be made stronger, so I did all that I knew to do, pray…and yes, invite Jesus boldly into every conversation and activity. It wasn’t easy, but it’s always worth it. Worth seeing Him move in ways only He can. Worth seeing Him transform and change lives.

Looking out beyond the shore, you can only see so far. You know and trust that those waters meet another body of water or another piece of land some hundreds of miles out. Just because it can’t be seen from where you’re standing, you know and believe it. That is faith! Trusting and believing what you can’t always see. Hebrews 11:1 says, “…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, then conviction of things not seen.”

I wanted every student to walk away from this trip with a faith stronger than they had before. That only happens when we take a leap and trust that He is going to carry us and lead us beyond our own comfortable borders.

I had some difficult conversations. I laughed a lot. I cried a lot. But more than anything, I experienced Jesus. I experienced Him changing not only my heart, but the hearts of the students that were with me. I saw Him boldly invade and transform lives. I will never forget a late night conversation with a student that left me perhaps more hopeful than I had been in a long time in the world of student ministry. When you intentionally pray for life change, and witness it before your own eyes, it’s a reassurance that our God can do more than we ever thought possible. That was happening right in front of me as I sat and listened to a kid that I love so much, confess and proclaim that He wanted to see Jesus more active in His life. I couldn’t stop smiling because my heart was full. My soul was thankful and humbled. Jesus was present. Jesus was making a change. What I had been praying about for several months was happening in real time. And while this student knew it would be hard, he knew that it would be worth it.  He wanted the good lifestyle that can only come from Jesus.

 

As I walked away from our conversation, I couldn’t help but take a step back and think about how thankful I was to witness God so alive. So many times I question why God picked me. Then I remembered, when I said yes to student ministry, it wasn’t about me. It was about God all along. All about Him making me brave enough to pursue Him in a way that took me beyond my own comfort zone to show students that He is who He says He is. That late night conversation was a picture perfect example of that. God was using me to help a student who wanted to see Him process what this new life could look like.

When we trust God beyond our own comprehension, amazing things happen. Just like the energy I had at 3:30 am on the day of our departure, is the same energy I continue to have today because I know that our God is alive and working. While it can be hard at times, I’m reminded of the great work that only He can do. He is still transforming our students. He is still transforming me.

Every morning I want to find my ocean, reminding me to trust Him. Even when I can’t see what lies ahead.