Fuel for a Lifetime

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

‘But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.’” (Jeremiah 17:5-8 NIV)

I have worked with young people all of my adult life.  And while there have been major changes in those students over the years, there has been one constant: emotional experience is their fuel for life.  Youth workers have long understood this and, to varying degrees, develop strategies and programs to take advantage of this.  It is no coincidence that youth ministries are predicated upon “big events,” and youth camps that offer adrenaline-laden activities and speakers who can effectively tap into adolescent emotional fervor.  Otherwise, the thinking goes, the youth won’t come and our work will be a failure.

If my Facebook newsfeed and emails I receive are an accurate indicator, youth leaders are doubling down on this trend.  Famous names, popular bands, and lots and lots of young people gathered in one place at one time is the prime way in which God works.  As one student who attended Passion last week told me, “55,000 college students in one place was amazing!”  Emotional highs and amazing experiences are viewed as the fuel for spiritual vitality and growth.

I have no doubt that the intentions of both leaders and students are sincere.  The leaders truly do want their students to know the Lord and follow Him.  And the students, I am confident, are, on some level, indeed seeking God.  The danger, however, in this emphasis on emotional experience lies in the fact that life is just too hard at times and these emotional highs will come crashing down, or that eventually the emotional fuel will run out, and then we’re left with the choice of trusting God in the midst of our very real circumstances—the loss of a job, the death of a parent, the ending of a romantic relationship or marriage, the onset of a debilitating illness, or the reality of deep doubts creeping into our minds—or giving up because there is nothing left to fuel our faith.  

If we trust solely in our emotional experiences to bolster our faith, we are setting ourselves up for colossal failure and disappointment.  The truth is if we truly trust God, no matter what circumstances exist in our lives, we can and will remain faithful because our sole dependence is on Him.  Emotional experience is not necessarily bad, but it is the wrong fuel upon which to run our lives of faith.  The right fuel, as it has been for believers down through the ages, is trust in God and confidence in Him no matter the circumstances of our lives.  

Today, consider what fuels your walk with the Lord.  It is purely or primarily emotional experiences?  If so, realize this fuel is short-lived.  It cannot sustain you.  Instead, seek the fuel that can power a lifetime of faithfulness and spiritual growth—trust and confidence in God.

© Jim Musser 2017