Grace v. ???

Some thoughts after what might be possible my most disappointing night of youth ministry so far. *More reasons to hate all-nighters!*

While talking with one kid who showed up drunk, I learned that another kid had showed up high. The drunk kid is a fringe guy who we only see when he has big stuff going on in his life. He shows up consistently to my office for a couple of weeks, and then I won't see him again for six months. To him I'm inclined to show grace. We put him upstairs on a couch in the church to sleep it off. He lives on his own, so sending him home would be almost mean, and to send him back to the party he was at would be stupid.

High kid is the one that really hurts. He's one that I've been working with and praying for the last couple of years. I took him home and had to sit by myself for a few minutes after he went inside. I don't even know what to call that one, but I have a hard time thinking of it as grace. At the same time, I think that I responded as graciously as possible and may have even really showed grace to him. I told him to get a few hours of sleep and then come back in the morning for breakfast, I hope he does.

Sometimes I love this job, other times I hate it. Oddly enough, tonight I love this job and hate some of the things I have to see because of it. It really comes down to sin I suppose. The world has seduced these two guys with their 'goods' and they've both fallen for it. Please, don't take the world at its word.