I Quit.

Dear Radical Change, 

I quit Youth Ministry today. 

I got tired of hearing how I needed to make sure those youth behave during the worship services like I am the church bouncer.

I got tired of parents who don't live Christian lifestyles and expect me to mold their kids in the few hours a week we have them and then when the kids screw up, the fault is that the youth ministry is not deep enough. 

I got tired of those kids who play the game of being spiritual, but then live like they have never heard of Jesus. 

I got tired of adults who do not have a clue about Youth Ministry but have an outline of how I am failing my job. 

I got tired of people not respecting the Youth Ministry calender by scheduling the facilities and taking them away from students. 

I got tired of people who believe that the way we did church in 1948 worked and that it should still work today. 

I got tired of people who have complaints, but instead of going to those with whom they have a beef, they make phone calls to gripe to dozens of other people in the congregation. 

I got tired of people who do not spend personal time with the Lord (by their own admission) but yet think they should run the church.

I got tired of people who keep asking me when I am going to pastor my own church and become a "real" minister. 

I got tired of people who think that youth workers can't be trusted and need constant supervision.

I got tired of working late and people thinking this is what I should do

I got tired of people asking 'What do you do when the kids are in school?'

I got tired of all the times that I failed and felt crippingly inadequate to do this job.

I got tired of being tired all the time.

However, I was smart enough to not tell anyone that I quit. I went home, spent some time with my family, spent some time in prayer and got a good nights sleep. I am back on the job today. I have read James 1:1-5 and continue in knowing this will produce steadfastness. 

Those same people who I was tired of yesterday are still in my life, but somehow God has given me grace to love them today. I am grateful for having the best job in the world, the opportunity to be used of God as a conduit for his grace to influence young lives. I am so glad that when I quit on God yesterday, that he refused to quit on me.

Today, I am making a commitment to last because what God has called me to is too important to quit. 

Your friend and (still) fellow youth worker,

Jimmy. 

I wonder how many of us feel like this in our given ministry. I know I do, all the time. This was an excerpt from the second chapter of the book 'Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry' by Doug Fields. 

If you feel yourself on the edge of quitting, on the point of breaking or even feeling prolonged disappointment .. then make that commitment.

What God has called you to is too important to quit. 

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