Communicating Grace

Thursday last week. It was the last youth fellowship for this semester in our church, and as usual, I was there. Of course I was there not just for the hype of it nor for the taste of being feeling young when we--the not-so-older generation--had the chance to mix in the crowd of the legitimate youngsters, but I was there because my heart belongs to this generation.

I was there to get lost in the arms of the One who causes my heart to burst in gratitude and gladness for everything He has done. I was there to marvel and bask in the infinite glory of the One who have sought and has saved.

It really touches the heart when one sees how God is really working out amazing things in this generation of young people. When you see the yearning and the thirst of these youth for authentic faith and meaning, you can't help but be humbled in your own search for authenticity. And I am just thankful that during my younger years, I was able to find a family such as this that has nurtured me in my personal and spiritual journey. It was truly a blessing for me all in all.

But here's really the reason for this post. Haha. At the end of the program, I was given the privilege to close the fellowship in prayer. It was actually impromptu. But deep inside I really wanted to be given that chance to stand in the crowd and lead them. Deep inside I was yearning to share encouraging words to them. And to share and encourage I did. And though they only asked me to close in prayer, I went on to give a short exhortation. Well what was funny and rather ridiculous is the way I reacted on the stage. I don't know but there's something in me that tells me I'm on the right place. That I sort of miss this specific instance of standing before a crowd. 

It was then that I realized am literally trembling. My knees and hands were shaking. My voice was breaking. I was gasping for breath (well, perhaps I'm exaggerating). But it was not because I was having a stage fright. It was not because I was terrified of the crowd. It was rather the other way.

It is because I became too excited to speak. It is because I was too anxious to stand before the crowd of expectant young faces. It is because I have something to say.

It is because I miss, I sorely miss teaching.

So it was there on that stage that I was reminded of the intense feeling of teaching which I left more than three weeks ago. I was reminded of the fulfillment of having to reach out to people through the platform of education and learning. But it was more than teaching. It is communicating hope and grace.

What I shared to the young people that night was actually a note to myself. I shared to them something about the limitless God we worship. That although people are limited (in wisdom, resources, and strength), our God is not. He is boundless. He is limitless. And the people who believe in has this assurance.

Lastly, I shared to them one of my favorite bible verses, in Daniel 11:32, which says: "...the people who know their God will be strong...and will accomplish great things." It starts from knowing who really God is.