Moments of Peace

I'm sitting in my office at Inner City Youth Alive enjoying a rare moment of peace - my role on Wednesday evenings, beyond organizing it all before the event, is as disciplinarian and substitute leader. That's right, I'm the "principal" - the one whose office you DON'T want to get sent to. But I'm also the pinch hitter who steps in when a group's about to be cancelled because they're leaders can't come, or I drive a vanload out to their event, or organize the big fun events, teach the lesson and keep my fingers in way too many pies. So to sit back, knowing every volunteer leader was able to make it today, having taught the story of Jonah and obedience to God, having checked in on all the groups to see them studiously working on their memory verses, and then to see them having a great time with their small group activity has been, well, a little amazing. Tonight, having all the kids behave at this moment is a treasure. In the background, I can hear a group of girls singing to a karaoke song. In another room, I can see a group of boys making cardboard forts & hustling each other in and out as they plan an imaginary battle. Outside, a group is heading back from skating at a local outdoor rink. It's a good moment, a precious moment, of peace.

And its moments like these that we live for. A coworker was telling me of her disasterous class the other day - just when it was time for the Bible story, the class erupted out of control, and for the rest of the time, chaos reigned. Spitballs and swear words were thrown about, insults grafittied on the walls and shouted at each other, the room was trashed and her soul felt about the same by the time the kids managed to get ushered outside. I nodded - I could relate... far too often! But as she knelt to begin to clean up the mess, God spoke to her in the chaos: He spoke peace into the storm, and reminded her that He is the God of peace. He prompted her to pray for the trouble makers, and to take heart - He has overcome the world. Later that week, a Bible class she attended addressed the topic of poverty of the soul, and the natural response to that is chaos. It's God who does the work of peace & brings order to that chaos, brings light into darkness, brings hope in despair.

So when the kids react negatively, I get to step in and discipline them, but I don't stop loving them because I see some of the broken places in them, and I long to see the God of peace step in and restore them. But, at times like these, with laughter and playing ringing in the background, I think the God of peace is already here.