How DO you keep a christian mindset after the excitement wears off?
Have you ever been on a really awesome youth trip and just felt the magic, the passion for Christ and your friends just flowing through you? Or, how about you went with a friend to a lock-in, and just being surrounded by such joy for God got you pumped? Now remember how you felt afterwards? I know, it’s a stretch. Remembering things isn’t my favorite thing either. I’ve had this experience, and the same thing happens every time. Let me lay it out for you:
I went with my youth group to a ‘youth retreat’ at Mozingo Lake. Everyone had been pumped for the event to happen, but when I arrived at the church that late morning it was a different ball game. Everywhere kids were chatting it up, talking about the friends they brought or what activities the groups might do. We boarded the small bus and headed out. Now, I’m going to skip the details and get to the point. The number one thing that I looked forward to the most was our worship. Why you might ask? Simply because of the amazing energy of my friends. Everyone was so pumped for Christ! Our voices sang in unison for His glory.
Are you connecting with this? Maybe your wondering when I’ll get to the point. Don’t worry, it’s coming soon. Frankly, everything seemed so clear, our paths, our priorities. Then we came back home. It was our descent off of our mountain, where the view was clear, and into a valley where we were surrounded. Or at least I know that I was. Suddenly, as I came off that mountain, I was confronted with obstacles, I didn’t feel quite as invincible as I did around that campfire, or singing those songs of praise.
As two of my new favorite authors experienced, coming down off that mountain is tricky, and sometimes you end up tripping and flying hands first into a cactus. (Which hurts a lot, I would think.) Then BAM! your back into your cycles from before the trip, seemingly not changed at all.
The Solution according to Sydney
Does this sound familiar at all? Maybe it’s like one of those groggy dreams that you only half remember. Don’t worry, I understand. The important thing is that you get where I’m coming from. What can a person do once their passionate high has been broken down by sin and doubt, by the monotony of school? I’ve wondered this myself for a whole first semester. And I think the answer lies in some verses I’ve stumbled onto recently. The first is Proverbs 13:20, which states, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” To read between the lines, and connect this with our problem at hand, this great verse states that when we hang with those that are smarter than us, (Wiser) we in turn be come more wise. But the second half of that verse states that “ companion of fools suffers harm.” If we hang out with ‘fools’ or people who do not live a godly life most of the time, you get sucked into a sinful life. You become a fool. We want to be surrounded by people who can life us up, people who can help fuel your passion and get your life back on track. Attend Church regularly, go hang out with good Christian friends. A good thing to try is to explain how you felt on that trip to someone. Ask them if they could take on the role of an encourager in your life. It worked for me!
Now, I’m not saying that you abandon all your other friends. They need you more than ever if they walk without Christ. When they see you all fired up, hopefully you place a spark inside their own hearts that makes them wonder why you are so full of joy. But as Col 4:6 - states,”Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. “ Don’t let yourself drift into something that leads to sin, rather, have your conversation ‘be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, ‘. Now, I bet you’re shaking your head wondering why I’m talking about salt. If you remember any history lesson talking about the old, old times, you would hopefully remember that they didn’t have freezers or food vacs. Salt was not only good for a little bit of seasoning on foods, but some salt rubbed on that same meat slowed down decay. It was a preserver. So, if we play a little Nancy Drew and decode that scripture, we get that our ‘conversations should be always full of grace, seasoned with preservers, ‘
I know that even I confused myself a little back there. So, I want to sum up what two very good teen authors wrote.
“And-- worst-case scenario-- how do you keep the majestic view in mind when you’re digging cactus spines out of your hand?
The answer is to chart a clear course.
Unfortunately, that was basically all they said about the subject in that part of the book. But I think it ‘s a pretty concise statement. Let’s look at the last sentence. Chart a clear course? We’re not pirates! But yet that is exactly what we must do. What I’ve said above are my personal steps to chart my clear course. If you are serious about wanting to keep that Passion for Christ burning hot, then you can’t just give up. You have to fight the good fight, as Apostle Paul says.
Like 1 Timothy 4:12 states, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
