Lost

Over the course of the Define Conference that The NXT youth church hosted I had an experience that was a "moment" in my life. What I mean by that is that there are times when the Holy Spirit drops something in my heart that is a loving rebuke yet has quite a sting to it...I call them "moments". The bible tells us that God corrects those He loves and as I look back on this experience I see that because God loves me is why He would come to confront and correct me.

You see, I was entrusted with a key. Not just any key, but one of great value - the master key. This key would open every door in the building and gave me full access to all areas of the church
and as the main administrator and coordinator for the Conference having all access was crucial.

It was Tuesday night and I had been at the church since I had gotten off of work that evening setting up and tying up all the lose ends that needed to be done so things would go smoothly the next day. Time had raced by and it was after 2am when we battened down the hatches to all headed home for a few hours of sleep.

On my way home I realized that I had left my phone on my desk at the church. I turned around to go retrieve my phone since, after all, I had the master key. I reached down and picked up the key only to fumble it and drop it...not a big deal right? I spent the next 2o minutes in the dark parking lot of the church trying to locate the key. Unable to find it I drive home, pull out my caving headlamp and search for another 30 minutes. Still no key so I call it a night and head to bed for 2 hours of sleep. Morning comes and I again search for the key, my roommate looked for it and throughout the course of the morning there were 6 different people that combed through my car looking for the lost master key. The key was gone.

Let me tell you the sick feeling in my stomach knowing that I would have to tell Pastor Taunia that on the very night she entrusted me with the master key I lost it. All morning I stressed over the lost key - even in the crazy stuff that needed to get done for the conference it was this constant nagging in my mind ... where is the lost key and what will Pastor Taunia say when I have to give an account?

During my worries over a lost key the Holy Spirit dropped in my heart a very clear thought. The thought was this: "You are more worried about the lost key and how you have to face Pastor Taunia and give an account then you are over lost people and that you will face Me and give account for your life and time." Talk about the wind getting knocked out of you. The story of the 1 lost sheep came to mind and how the shepherd left the 99 to go and find the one. As I sat there stunned at my shallowness - I was way more concerned at how losing the key would effect what my pastors thought of me and my leadership then I was with the lost people I had contact with every day. The lost key was consuming my mind - lost people did not.

I was adjusted in my heart that morning and I had to ask myself, "why do I do what I do? What is the reason behind all this administration stuff and all these tasks?" People. It all comes back to loving what God loves and giving your life for something bigger and greater then yourself. The rest of that day at the Define Conference I tried really had to take time for the people that came across my path...because after all people are what count.