You probably should know this. I hate cats and I hate recycling. If you still wanna be my friend that's cool but I put it on the Internet, so don't claim I didn't warn you.
My time in ministry has required a good amount of tact; like eating food I don't like at the potluck, taking lots of advice I don't need from church ladies and trying to maintain a balance between sass and compassion on this blog.
None of these compare the number of times I've had to pray for cats.
You might know the scenario: we get to the end of small group, you ask if there's any prayer requests, they look at the floor, the ceiling, each other until finally one of them raises their hand. And you think maybe you're actually getting somewhere - until they ask you to pray for their sick cat.
I hate cats.
When I'm stressed I can't sleep. These last few weeks it takes me forever to fall asleep and at exactly 5:00 A.M. I am wide awake.
I tried everything I could think of and then some to cope, to push through but I still
I tried everything I could think of and then some to cope, to push through but I still
couldn't shake the stress. One morning I was so desperate, so frustrated, that I got up, dug out my veryyy old running shoes and started running. If you're laughing that's ok - I'm not a runner. I'm not even athletic. But when I was in high school and my parents were getting divorced running worked, it cleared my head and made me tired enough to sleep. So I got up and I went for a run because I didn't know what else to do. I went back to the thing I knew would work.
Someday our kids will come back to what they believe will restore them. When they've reached the end of their rope, made that one huge mistake, when they don't know what else to do. They will come back to whatever they think will help.
This is why I'm praying for your stupid cat. This is why loving the most annoying kid matters. If their memory of the Church is of a place where they were loved, where they belonged, where we cared about the things they cared about - this is where they'll turn when they don't know what else to do.
Sometimes our high schoolers will ask for the equivalent of cat prayers. They'll ask me to pray for a grade, their crush,or a homecoming dress when I know they were drunk at a party the night before. I know their home life is hell, I know they are struggling with cutting, depression and sin that they cannot see a way out of.
Someday our kids will come back to what they believe will restore them. When they've reached the end of their rope, made that one huge mistake, when they don't know what else to do. They will come back to whatever they think will help.
This is why I'm praying for your stupid cat. This is why loving the most annoying kid matters. If their memory of the Church is of a place where they were loved, where they belonged, where we cared about the things they cared about - this is where they'll turn when they don't know what else to do.
Sometimes our high schoolers will ask for the equivalent of cat prayers. They'll ask me to pray for a grade, their crush,or a homecoming dress when I know they were drunk at a party the night before. I know their home life is hell, I know they are struggling with cutting, depression and sin that they cannot see a way out of.
So I pray for their sick cat, and their homecoming date and their chemistry test.
Someday they will ask for something more. Someday they will run out of ideas, and they won't know what else to do. I'm hoping they remember that we care about them, and I'm hoping they call.
The more work we do on this end of praying hard for things that are small - the more important it will be to come back to Jesus, to come back to the Church, to return to the only thing they know will work.
I need you to pray for our kids. We are on our way to CIY in Cleavland, Tennessee.
I need you to pray for our kids. We are on our way to CIY in Cleavland, Tennessee.
Please don't pray for safe travels, or good health or fun times. Please don't even waste a thought on those things.
Pray that they experience Jesus in a way that changes their life. Pray that hardened hearts would be softened, that the chains of sin would be broken, that I can pray for something besides their sick cats.
I wish I could put into a blog post the way my heart has labored over this week, these kids, the things Jesus has to say to them. We've spent a year praying for what God will do to our students' hearts through CIY Move 2016.
So please pray with me, for a realization of depravity and the first discovery of amazing grace. Dear friends, please pray on your faces, please fast and pray, please get up in the morning to pray for this. This is a unique moment for our kids to let go of distraction and be faced with the power of the Cross.
And there's a chance I'll get to pray with them about something way more important than their sick cat.
Thank you for your support, thank you for praying with us. I am confident and expectant: lives will be changed week
With Love,
Emily LeVault
Yes. One of our girls returned from CIY last night, and it totally wrecked her. I'm praying the same this morning for your students. Love you, friend!
ReplyDeleteThank you Gretchen!
DeleteWe are so blessed to have you and Garrett here ministering to our kids! You may be praying for the small things but you are impacting their lives....I can see it first hand! Praying for changed lives this week!
ReplyDeleteThank you Angie 🙂
DeleteI am getting ready to start a prayer journey that I am not excited about (long story) and am going to put you on my prayer list. Prayer is hard. It is necessary. It is frustrating. And people are all of those things too. You are making a difference. From my time spent working with teenagers, I can tell you that it all matters. You won't see a return on all of it, but it does all matter. I will pray for your teens but also for you and your influence in their lives. You are a bright beacon, Emily!
ReplyDelete