Last night with the high school group, we started looking at our lives as “stories.” Everyone has a story, and each kid can tell their story by heart- which really is a pretty powerful thing when you think about it. After setting up what it means to have your own story, we took a look at what it means to allow God’s story to be a part of their story. We talked about where it was easy to let the two stories intertwine, where it was difficult- and where it seems straight-up impossible. I then asked them to write down the 3 hardest parts of their life for them to fully allow God’s story to meet their story.
EACH and EVERY response came back with at least one reference to relationships. Friends, boyfriend, family member, etc. I could have told you before last night that relationships would be the #1 answer… but it was still a bit of a shock to see it written down on every response.
What is it about us and about our ability (or lack thereof) to relate to God that is so wrapped up in how we relate to other people? I have ideas and I even believe some of them to be correct and true (community, accountability, blah) but it almost doesn’t seem fair. I have friends who have turned away from Christ and 15 friends who loved them because of one friend who jerked them around. I know people who have spent years seeking and desiring to know Christ, but aren’t able to, because they want to do it themselves- without relationship. I could delve into scripture and theology and discuss why there aren’t any walls between us and a relationship with Christ, why that has all been taken care of, and why we should let the influence of (wo)man dictate God’s role in our story.
But when I sit down with the high school students and talk about why it is so hard to let Christ ‘own’ our relationships- straight theology just isn’t going to cut it. We can tell them to ‘do better,’ but that won’t cut it either. Its an interesting challenge, and one I’m excited to explore more with these students. One thing I’m sure of- is that while we explore it- we’ll make sure to do it in a loving relationship.
