After winter comes life.
The Alaskan Wood Frog is truly amazing, it has adapted to the cold climate of Alaska by freezing itself over the winter. During this time, they stop breathing and their hearts stop beating. Their bodies produce a special antifreeze substance that prevents ice from freezing within their cells, which would be deadly. Ice does form, however, in the spaces between the cells. When the weather warms, the frogs thaw themselves and then head out to feed and explore. These phenomenal little frogs have a truly ‘superhuman’ ability; they freeze themselves and are effectively then dead for around 8 months, and then when spring comes and the time is right, they bring themselves back to life!
I believe there has been a bit of a temperature change within the world of youthwork, almost as if a thaw is happening and ministry is starting to breathe again and come back to life. Over the last few months I have been involved in various events and residentials where it is evident there is significant life emerging, and for this I am so thankful. I wonder whether as youth leaders our role is to encourage this ‘temperature change’ – to allow young people to see that it is ok to return and come out of the hibernation that may have been instigated by the pandemic and lockdown season. The Alaskan Wood Frog senses the weather changing and then it’s body responds accordingly, my prayer is that in these coming months we will see more and more young people emerging from a state of stasis and then by gathering with others they can build community, reconnect and seek the life of the new season.
“In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Luke 24:5 NIVUK
So maybe the challenge for us as youth leaders is to ask some questions around the climate we need to create. What does ‘spring’, a temperature change, and new life look like? What is it that we must prioritise and model right now that will build an environment young people will return to life in? As young people emerge from a sort of ‘stasis’ we want them to know instinctively where life is, and not to have them wandering around amongst the dead. Some young people are waking up, looking for life and finding that some churches are just graveyards! Let us be people who point them to life.
In the youthwork world we are facing some huge challenges around integrity and lost trust, so more than ever we need to ensure we are being humble, prayerful and genuine. If I think about the wood frog for a moment, we know that they only thaw when the time is right and they can guarantee they will survive. I always seem to have Jesus’ words ringing in my ears when ever I want to create a space – “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full!” The young people I serve need to know they will be able to find life, and life as Jesus offers not as the world pretends to.
I’m focusing on three ideas at the moment that I hope will build a life-sustaining, life-thriving, life-giving environment:
Spaces where individuals can seek, discover and explore their purpose. Finding your purpose allows you to feel chosen, intentionally created and here ‘on purpose’! Finding your purpose, or your ‘reason to live’ is so beneficial to your physical and mental health. Having leaders who will walk and journey with you as you do this is key. “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Spaces where joy, laughter, wonder, honesty and relationship at the most important things. People need to be loved and invested in, this only happens when our ministry is shaped around significant time with generous, patient, people-focused leaders.
Spaces where young people can reflect, ask questions, find moments of calm and seek God in an intentional way. God is “not far from each one of us” and so we need to make time ourselves to be still and quiet enough to hear God. Time and time again God has used the spaces we have created that aren’t a talk then worship (although there is nothing wrong with these), but when there is unhurried time to just be still and explore what God might be saying.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein
I believe the wood frog is miraculous, truly miraculous. But more than the wood frog I believe every young person is miraculous, yes even more miraculous than the self-defrosting, temperature-sensing wood frog. But most young people don’t know they are miraculous, they never see that they are miraculous. Our job as youth leaders is to spend enough time with young people that they get to see what God thinks of them, that they get to see that even in the midst of challenge, mess, failure and grief they discover the full life that Jesus offers.