After Paul is forced to leave Berea in Acts 17, he arrives in Athens. While waiting there, "he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols." (Acts 17:16, NIV). In other words, he was broken hearted for the people of Athens. He wasn't mad. He didn't campaign against the idols. He didn't go on a rampage. He was broken-hearted for the people of Athens. Shaun, the youth pastor from my church, recently preached on this passage and he asked, "What if our evangelism didn't come from obligation, duty, or necessity? What if our evangelism came from a broken heart?" OUCH!
What if this ministry operated with that view--a broken heart for students and young adults at BSU. What if this was part of my motivation for this ministry? What if I became broken hearted for the idols in their lives--academics, parties, drugs, sex, porn, money, careers, football, etc.? What if I chose to do things, not because I think others will like it (donors, churches, district, etc.) but rather because I see the lostness, the emptiness in students lives, and they need someone to listen and share.
I find myself also with a broken heart for the students from our churches. I read recently that “upon entering college, many students encounter a significant level of stress and loneliness which leads to the desire to fit in or escape at any cost. This ultimately sends them into culture shock.”* Social environment changes, new academic protocol, financial burdens, new independence, and many temptations await your students. Many students are unprepared for the stress. These factors lead to 70% youth group graduates taking a break from the church.* According to USA Today, the toughest year of a teen's life is the first year of college. This breaks my heart--because I love students, AND because I love the church. Both experience the pain of broken relationship, and my heart hurts because of it! And that motivates me and encourages me to keep going in this ministry!
When I first arrived in Boise, it took me months to go to campus. I knew the first time that I did, I was likely to cry. Before moving here, God had given me a broken heart for this campus. And though other motivations have been part of this ministry, I'm praying that God continues to give me a broken heart for Boise State. I'm praying that this is the motivation that encompasses all the others, and will help me to love well, to live well, and to engage a culture that needs to know about the unknown God.
What ways has a broken heart motivated you in ministry?
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