Jesus - The Suffering Servant

This is the title of my Sunday school lesson tomorrow. We're doing a study called "They Call Him Jesus" and so far it's been really good. Here's the thing though. 9th grade girls are hard. I mean, they really wanna know about Jesus and they really do know a lot more about Him than I thought, but they really want whatever I'm teaching them to apply TO THEM! That's where this study is....shall we say....lacking. The application part of the lesson doesn't go as deep as I/they would like. This is where my inexperience/insecurity/fear comes in. This is where the enemy likes to get me every Sat. evening as I'm finalizing things.

He likes to whisper in my ear that they're going to be giving me that face of "will you please just shut it". That face of "I see her mouth moving, but I don't understand a word coming out of it". Do you know that face? If you have a teenager I'm thinking you do. (lol) I've done what I can to prepare for these girls and just when I think I've wasted their time and mine, the Father is faithful to give me a little reassurance. Like a couple of weeks ago the pastor from our North Campus came down and preached and he was talking about carrying things and had a heavy backpack on his back. He dropped it dramatically on the floor to represent laying things down at Jesus feet and several of my girls turned and looked at me. I had done a similar illustration with a bag of rocks a few weeks earlier and they REMEMBERED! YAY God!

So tomorrow as we talk about how the world does it's best to tell us that we need to look a certain way, have certain things and do certain things to be loved and accepted but Jesus showed us in His life that to serve others was the way to greatness in His Kingdom I pray that something will stick with them. I pray that the Lord will honor His promise that His Word will not return void as I share it with these girls.

Father God, I know that you've promised me that I can do all things in Your strength so I pray now that You'll give me the right words as I lead class tomorrow. I ask You to start - even now tonight - to soften their hearts and open their minds to what it is You have to say to them. You are faithful Father, and I thank you for the joy of sharing with these amazing girls. Show yourself strong tomorrow and every day in their lives. In the precious name of the Ultimate Servant Your Son Jesus I ask it. Amen.