More than a Smile

What is more contagious than the flu?
I have been discovering over the past few weeks that there are lots of things that spread very quickly through any high school but especially a small school like Riverside. Some examples of these things include the flu, rumors, grumbling, and overall bad attitudes. I have seen each and everyone of these things spread like wildfire through the high school halls over the last two weeks. High schools are a breading ground for drama but fortunately they can also be an incredibly positive place as well. It is very evident to me that by just smiling at a person, or acknowledging, in anyway, that they have worth in your eyes ignites a small flame in them. For me, igniting this flame has been the first step to the spiritual transformation that needs to happen at Riverside. At the beginning of the year, the teachers were talking about what needed to happen at Riverside to make it into a place where kids can thrive in a spiritually nurturing atmosphere and where they can be spiritual leaders. As I thought about this goal I had all these grand ideas about leadership trainings and apologetics seminars and all kinds of things that I had in high school and college. However, when I got into the school and began experiencing life with these high schoolers I realized that something else needed to happen. I realized that before we can start a revival and get students to become spiritual leaders they needed to see the worth in themselves that they are even capable of this kind of spiritual leadership. This was a turning point for me. This was when I realized that I had to be more than just a smiling face and a person inside a classroom, I came to the understanding that in order to get these kids to grow towards spiritual leadership I first had to do what God had been calling me to do which was lay all of myself out for those around me. I had to come into everyday knowing that the only way I would make it through the day is through the strength of the Lord. I had to lead by fully relying on Jesus for my every need so I could live out that kind of sacrificial leadership to the students. Laying it all out on the line is hard! Coming into each day only by the strength of Jesus is exhausting, and  yet pouring myself into the students is exactly what God is requiring of me. The idea of sacrifice has characterized the last two weeks for me in many ways. I cannot go into all of them but I can already see how God is refining me and bringing out my very best. One of the products of this season has ironically been an overwhelming sense of JOY!
JOY is what spreads faster than the flu and even though it is so simple it's power is huge. While pouring myself into work I have found an incredible sense of joy that truly has transcended happiness or sadness and it is contagious for sure. Through all the ups and the downs the Joy of the Lord is my Strength and I am begining to know that full well.
Be praying that the joy that is in my heart can truly be contagious to the students and that they will begin to show the outward signs of the knowledge of the love that Jesus has for them. We need spiritual student leaders at school so that we can truly be a light in the hills!