Autumn seems like such a good comparison to what is currently going on at the Barn. Many things around here seem to be changing - as they do almost every year. It is hard for me at times because I've never been in a ministry long enough to see so many kids come and go. Last year we had 5 seniors who moved on to college (3 of whom I met with weekly for breakfast). That might not seem like a lot, but honestly it has changed the whole dynamic of things around here - at least for me.
Of the guys I met with for breakfast only one remains a student. All that once was has changed. Monday afternoons and Tuesday mornings are a bit more barren. Though I am still trying to stay connected with these seniors it is not the same. They are maturing, growing, and learning to live on their own - to make their faith their own - and my main focus zeros in on those who are left.
Change, however, is beautiful like these Autumn trees. Often, I miss that. I tend to see change and fight against it, but as things change I learn more about the students who are here now. As change finds its way into things here I learn more about myself. The process is never quite the same, but rather, ebbs and flows with everything. Our numbers will always rise and fall; our audience come and go; the personalities will mature and grow; the lives be impacted and shaped.
It is all such a beautiful process, but there comes a time for all change. People will move on, and it is our job to help them be ready for that. It is our job to help them grow strong, and tall so that when it is time for them to change their leaves they will shine bright. That when the time comes they will illuminate the mountain side with their beauty, and show the whole world what they have become. That in the end they might show Christ to the lost, in all their seasons. That the world might see in them: beauty, stability, life, and steadfastness.
Change is still hard, but its process only becomes more beautiful!
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