Catch the Small Waves

A boogie board to preteen ministry analogy.

This morning I went boogie boarding and it was rough.  Way rough!  Usually that’s a good thing, but not today.  The water was high and there was a strong rip tide going inland.  The rip tide was so strong I would paddle my hardest barely moving at all.  I spent about 30 minutes trying to get out to where waves break, which is the best place to catch a wave.  But the rip tide was stopping me from making any progress.  And what little I did make, the big waves would knock me down.  So, I tried a different stradegy.  I decided to give up the idea of catching the big waves and instead ride the little ones closer to the shore.  I enjoyed surfing the little waves the rest of the morning. 

Those of us in preteen ministry often live for the big God moments.  We pray and hope for God to change the lives of all of our preteens at summer camp.  We expect great things to happen when we put on big outreach events.  But what do we do when our great expectations fall short?  We set our eyes on a homerun, but only hit a single.  Did we lack faith or not pray enough?  I think that God works in the little things just as much as in the big things.  If we miss seeing Him in the day to day stuff, we often miss out on what he is doing around us.

Look for God in the little stuff.  See him at work when a new preteen comes for the first time, you recruit a new volunteer, the Sunday message really stuck with a preteen or when a parent thanks you for investing in the life of his son.  Keep your eyes open to what God doing in the little stuff around you.  Enjoy them.  They’re God’s gift to you!