Hugging a Porcupine

Jesus saw the huge crowd . . . and he had compassion on them. Matthew 14:14 

At a recent conference, I heard that getting close to youth in trauma is like hugging a porcupine. 

Ouch. 

Talk about uncomfortable. Prickly quills draw blood.  

Jesus never says, “Hey, guys. Sit back and focus on you. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable in this life.” 

Think camp. Why do we get sweaty and dirty and go without sleep? 

Think mentoring. Why do we sacrifice our time to be with vulnerable youth when we’d rather relax after a stressful day at work? 

Being uncomfortable is where Jesus does his best transformational work . . . in campers . . .  in mentees . . . and in us. 

Teen Reach has been one of the biggest game changers in my life. Can you relate? 

Will there be enough funds to run camp? How am I going to recruit a behavior specialist and a nurse and two dozen camp counselors? How do I respond when my mentee pushes me away and keeps making bad decisions? 

Experiencing tension forces us into the reality that we can’t do this without God.  

Jason Johnson, National Director of The Pure Religion Project with CAFO, says this place of tension is where we “confront our finiteness and His infiniteness.” 

The place of miracles. 

Like the feeding of the 5,000.  

This is not some kid’s story. It’s a reminder of what God can do when we expect him to show up in our need. 

God, please bring donors to meet camp expenses.  

Lord, you know our need for volunteers. Show me who to ask.  

Holy Spirit, give me love for my mentee when she pushes me away and wisdom to know what to say or what not to say when she keeps making bad decisions. 

Keep hugging porcupines. 

Proximity to porcupines is how we best learn God’s heart.