Ladle or Spoon? It's Still a Full Serving

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At the beginning of my first Youthworks’ summer, I remember marveling at how excited the local kids were to see us. We were a staff of four, and with the exception of one of us, we were total strangers to the kids. And yet, when those kids first saw us, they ran to us as if we were beloved family they hadn’t seen in months. And as the summer progressed, I continued to marvel at this same eager acceptance week after week as the local kids couldn’t wait to meet the next round of youth groups that had come in for a week of mission.

I imagined it would be difficult for the kids to meet new missionaries every week. And when you add to that the diversity of the visiting groups, I would think the kids would be downright cautious every time a new group came in. But they weren’t.

It was this observation that led to a profound understanding of Christ followers that I have kept with me ever since. You see, Youthworks is non-denominational. And every week of mission at a Youthworks’ site brings a new variety of Christian denominations that manage to powerfully serve together side-by-side. As Christians, we may worship differently on Sunday mornings, read different versions of the Bible and disagree on some of the finer aspects of our faith. But as children of the Father, we all carry the same Love. It was this same Spirit that drew the local children to us with such enthusiasm. It wasn’t us they beloved…it was Jesus. And through us, they saw Him week after week after week.

Oh Lord, may we all carry your Spirit in such a way that You are recognized wherever we go. Amen.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 12:4,5

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