Speak

N.B. I guess it's been a rather long time since I last blogged huh? I'm only really blogging now because I think the majority of the people who read this wouldn't understand the complete 'emo-ness' that was the last entry. In all honesty... I never expected anyone to.

Lately I've been thinking a lot. A number of situations and questions asked of me have made me do so, and although the majority of that (at the time) left me unsure and confused, the more I've had a chance to think it all over, the more sure I am of what is what. (Does that make any sense?)

Thinking back over the challenges and things that I've had to cope with this year has been strange. There was never any one point where I felt I had achieved something and yet now, as I prepare to finish the year, I wonder about all the things I have achieved. And I no longer wonder why God chose me for the job.

In training this Weds, Den was asking us questions about whether we were passionate about the Gospel. Such a questions leaves everyone feeling humbly unable to say yes, whilst guiltily knowing that maybe the answer is no. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised, YES, I am very passionate about the Gospel. And I shall tell you why.

It's changed my life! Simple as that. Over the last year, getting to grips with what it actually means, and understanding the impact that it should have on your life, has left my head spinning. But it has had that affect on my life. It's made me begin to believe in myself. It's made me realise that I'm loved, that I'm worth something to God. It's made me forgive things of the past, and let go of things that should have been let go of years ago. It has set me free from fears and insecurities, and opened up a whole range of opportunities for me that I never knew were possible.

And because it has changed my life, it has made me more passionate about it changing other people's lives. The thing I live for, the reason I do youth work, is the look on a young persons face when they begin to feel the truth of the Gospel for themselves. The realisation that God loves them despite all their imperfections. That He sees how beautiful they really are, that He made them and He wants them. That they are accepted and loved, and no longer need to hide behind walls of possessions and popularity. How amazing is it, to have something that when shared, can bring a smile to a young person's face that previously only knew tears? To hear laughter instead of statements of self doubt and hate. To see hope in their eyes instead of depression and emptiness?

"You are not your job,

And you are not the clothes you wear

You are the words that leave your mouth

So speak up, speak up loud..."

'Call Me Ishmael' - Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.

It's time for us, as Christians, to speak up about the truth that gives us hope, that makes us live lives worth living, and that means we are with God! Why be scared of being rejected or persecuted? Being a Christian was never supposed to be easy! But God did promise us that no matter what we endure on earth, it would be worth it. So SPEAK UP!