I'm sure at some point we have all been there. Standing there in front of the mirror wishing that things were different. Not that we want to be taller, skinnier, more athletic, or anything that has to do with our physical appearance. But standing there looking in the mirror of student ministry and wishing we were a different youth pastor. How often do we stare at ourselves in the mirror and only see what's not there?
Usually it happens after an interaction with other youth pastors when their strengths have been on display. We see the creative minds, the charismatic personalities, those that seem to own the stage, those that speaking comes so easy to, the outgoing ones, the ones that all the students want to be around, the tech savvy ones, the ones that are really organized. I'm sure you could even fill in a few more. And what usually happens after that is that we try to become those things. We focus on becoming more creative, more charismatic, more tech savvy, or more organized. And while it is good to be pushed and have the desire to "improve" our weak areas, I wonder if sometimes that pushing and desire is at the expense of the strengths that God has already given us.
I could go on and on about how I wish I was like so and so in this area or that area, but in doing that I miss out on how God has gifted me and given me strengths to do what He has called me to do. I could spend most of my time trying to improve those "weak" areas, but in doing so miss out on the opportunity to use my strengths to impact students' lives. I could spend so much time looking in the mirror and focusing on who I am not, that I miss who I am.
May you be the youth pastor that God has created you to be. May you see your strengths as the way that God desires you to impact students' lives. May you see your "weakness" as an encouragement to continue to learn and grow. May you be confident in the youth pastor staring back at you in the mirror.
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