So, it has been about a month since my last post. Much has been going on with work and what not, but in recent days I have experienced a couple of happenings that I would like to share with you. These events are quite different in nature, but what I think they all do is show the limitless boundaries in which the Spirit operates.
First, I'd like to start with something that I experience on a daily basis. As many of you know, I coach cross country at the high school level. I work primarily with 12-14 year old boys. These guys compete in 2-mile races and their abilities range from 11 minutes to 26 minutes. What strikes me as amazing every day is the support and encouragement that most of these guys give each other. One young man in particular approached me to suggest that another team member be moved up into a better training group because their current group was too slow for him. This kind of selflessness at such a young age is truly inspiring for me. Watching these guys work hard (while still maintaining their silliness and immaturity of course), gets me excited for the type of young men and athletes they will become down the road. I know that with each practice, our guys are experiencing the Spirit in their lives through the camaraderie of their teammates as well as the care of those of us who coach them. I am eager to see how the rest of our season plays out.
The second item is a more isolated event that I had the honor of experiencing this weekend. I was invited to take part in one of the four overnight retreats that our senior class attends every year. This retreat focuses on understanding true Christian manhood. Seeing seniors in high school come together for a couple of days and open themselves up to the surrender and compassion needed to live a truly humble life in the Spirit is awesome. This retreat gave me the opportunity to view the upperclassmen in light of my daily experiences with the lowerclassmen. This allowed me to view the maturity and attitude of the 7th, 8th, and 9th graders that I coach to that of these seniors. I must say that these seniors, while still having much room for growth, already seem to have a faithful grasp of life. As one speaker mentioned, this age group is living in a unique stage of life where they have the energy of boys with the wisdom of men. This speaker encouraged the young man to seize the rest of their senior year as well as the next several years of life and become powerful men through their faith, humility, and love. I pray that these young men will continue to face the challenges of their lives with a spirit of fortitude that can only come from God. While the retreat contained many wonderful discussions and activities, I will not mention those in the interest of maintaining the surprise and wonder of the young men yet to make their retreat. Just know that the Spirit of courage and confidence that we try to share with the seniors was very alive this weekend and will continue to be thanks to the efforts of the campus ministry team and faculty who put on these wonderful retreats.
I pray that we all can find the innocence and energy of our youth and combine it with the wisdom and knowledge of adulthood to become the best human beings we can be in this life. The Spirit is alive and well. If we continue to run the race and take time to retreat, we are certain to experience the Spirit daily!
May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.
