This past week DVCC started a ministry at the local Juvenile Detention Center. The center asked us to talk to students about overcoming drugs, alcohol and other addictions. So I put together a team of men who had been able to overcome addictions in their lives with the help of God and others. The four of us prayed before we ventured into the detention center, not exactly sure about what was going to happen. We had an organized lesson plan revolving around the topic of "Honesty." We were trusting that God would do something in our first meeting.
We entered a room of about 15 young men who were between 13-20 years of age. We introduced ourselves to, what seemed like, a tension filled room. We played a game to get the young men to talk and laugh a little. Then afterwards one of our team members began to give his testimony. As he shared the room got quiet. Every ear was listening intently. Our team member didn't hold back as he shared his past defeats with drugs. He was completely honest and real. I looked around and saw the teens nodding their heads as they related to his testimony. The students heard a message about God, hope and victory over addiction.
After the testimony time, we had every intention of following our lesson plan but God had something different in mind. The teenagers began to ask questions and discuss their own stories. We put our lesson plan away and began to listen. For the next 30 minutes the teens discussed their struggles, fears and anxieties about life on the streets. The meeting became a time of confession for them. These young men wanted to talk. They wanted to be heard. They wanted to process their fears. They wanted to feel that someone cared. We ended our time with a group prayer. I asked God to give them hope and direction for their lives both in an out of the detention center.
I learned a lot from that meeting. Our team was there to teach them but we walked away learning just as much or more. In order to give hope to the hopeless you must first be willing to listen. As Christians, we so often want to preach, teach and lecture about solutions and answers to people's problems. However, the Apostle Paul tells us that without love we are nothing (I Corinthians 13). If people don't believe we care for them or love them, our message goes in one hear and out the other. As ministers of hope we must first establish a level of care. We can do that by listening. Listening, without judging or assuming we know what they are going through, lays a foundation of care. When others feel cared for they are more open to receive the good news of Christ.
The next time you are trying to reach out to someone. Don't lecture. Don't tell them what they need to do. Listen. Hear their hearts. Show them that you care. From there, you can share the great message of hope that the Gospel presents to us through Jesus Christ. I can't wait for our next meeting! We will go into the detention center to not only share the Gospel, but to listen to their stories. May God give hope to the hopeless.
The next time you are trying to reach out to someone. Don't lecture. Don't tell them what they need to do. Listen. Hear their hearts. Show them that you care. From there, you can share the great message of hope that the Gospel presents to us through Jesus Christ. I can't wait for our next meeting! We will go into the detention center to not only share the Gospel, but to listen to their stories. May God give hope to the hopeless.
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