Monday, February 15, 2016

"Searching for Sunday" Lenten Devotional Series: The Wisdom of Youth




Monday, February 15

The Wisdom of Youth

And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.1 Timothy 4:12 (The Messages)

It’s a typical Sunday morning, the youth are flopped on the couches in the Youth Room, stretched out and checking in on how everyone’s week has been. We are connecting with one another, listening to each other’s stories. On this particular Sunday we are reading about how Jesus has invited some smelly fisherman to come and follow him. We talked about the opportunity this opened for them when they had the courage to say, “yes.”  “How would your life be changed if you really followed Jesus?” This was a question we asked the youth next, the question that hopefully shifts us all into thinking about how Jesus changes our life. They pondered the idea, and talked about what it meant to follow Jesus. One of the youth responded, “I’d feel more empowered to be me.” The room almost went silent. Yes! Following Jesus does not take us further from being ourselves, but rather invites us to be truly ourselves. What if we lived fully from a place of being truly who we are? Julian of Norwich, the 12th century Christian mystic, says we are not just made by God, we are made of God. When we follow Jesus we discover our “of God-ness” our true selves are revealed and we are indeed empowered to be ourselves.

Creator God, give us courage each day to live fully into who we are. Made by you and of you. Amen.

Cami Twilling

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