“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” -2 Timothy 3:16-17
The first year I was a youth director, we planned a spring break mission trip to Chicago for our high school students. My husband, Brian and I had recently married and graduated from college. I began planning and preparing for the trip in March. I realized that I couldn’t even fully take care of all of the arrangements, like renting vehicles because of my younger age! But, I was determined to make it a great trip and take care of as many of the details that I could for a smooth adventure.
We were working with an organization for our mission projects, so many of the details for where we would go and what we would do were already scheduled for us. But we had two days to see the sights of Chicago, and we decided to take public transportation into the hub of activities into the city. I hadn’t been to many big cities or used public transportation myself, and now I was in charge of getting a group around town! I remember studying the subway and bus maps tirelessly that I nearly memorized all of the routes we would need to take.
The night before I reviewed our routes again so that I could be confident in leading our group through Chicago. Even though I hadn’t been on any of these routes or seen any of these sites, there was something familiar as the next stop was announced, and then the next. When I saw and heard one particular stop being announced, I knew that our stop was next, and I could prepare our group to get ready to unload. Being familiar with what might lie ahead helped us to navigate our travels pretty smoothly, but it also helped myself and our group enjoy our day. Instead of having to get too worried and stressed about when and where we were going, we could be in the moment and have fun experiencing something new.
Life is like this too. We won’t know exactly where our journey of life is going to take us, but we can take the time to study and prepare. When we look into God’s Word and his promises for us, then we’re able to know more about how we may navigate our life – our troubles, worries, and success. Even though we haven’t been there before, we might feel something familiar. This can bring confidence and trust rather than fear to our situation. God is right there with us and we can trust him completely.
Amy Givens, Director of Youth Ministries
