life-sharing...

a couple days ago i started the first of many small group meetings with some girls from a ministry i help with. these three girls were friends; they went to church together, went to school together, hung out at each others house, and shared with each other.

so then, what was i there for?

here i am, a new person trying to butt in to their way of life. i have a completely different lifestyle than them. i was raised completely different than them. i have experienced life situations completely different than theirs.

what did i have to offer? how could i even begin to relate to them?

so, at my wit's end, i started the meeting with the ultimate, deep, getting-to-know-you question that people have started associating me with.

i asked them what their passion in life was.

and i was NOT prepared for their response. sure, they gave responses similar to what i had heard before: music, animals, art, etc.

but they also shared parts of their life with me.

one of the girls shared exactly where she was with this whole God-thing, explaining that she just wanted to be a normal kid, but had all this pressure to be religious, and to go to church, and to do this, and that. and that she was tired of it.

granted, that wasn't all she said, but it's enough for now.

and it struck me: these girls had all the Bible lessons they needed. they have had enough advice to last them for the rest of their life. they had enough medicine to cure whatever ailed them.

but they didn't have anyone to share life with.

and i realized, that is what i have to offer.

i can preach and read the Bible and pray with them all i want, but they need someone who will love them for who they are. they need someone who will share in their ups and downs, their successes and failures. they need someone who can say, "hey, it will be alright. we'll get through this."

they need someone to share life with them.



and i need someone to share life with me.




Jesus said, "i am the way, and the truth, and the life..."


when we are sharing life, we are sharing Jesus.



and that is an amazing thing...