Jump Start

There was not a lot of energy in the room this week at group. One guy was jet-lagged from a return trip from Asia. One guy was mentally fatigued from his struggles at work. Another guy seemed exhausted from the major life battles he’s waging. And the rest of us couldn’t muster the extra energy to overcome the power outage. Clearly, a small group in need of a jump start.

I learned a couple of things from that meeting. First, “presence” for small groups is huge. Any one of our guys could have decided to stay home - catch up on their sleep or just relax and try to recharge their emotional batteries. But they came to group. It was important for them to be present and it was important for our group that they were present. You feel God’s presence and support in a special way in a good small group and you can’t experience it if you’re not present. They also showed me that they cared enough about me and the other guys in the group that, even though they may have wanted to stay home, they came and shared what they could. Their presence was important to all of us.

Second, even when it’s on reserve power, my group is a place to grow in my relationship with Jesus. I felt I was working harder to lead the group well (I couldn’t even get a closing song in the right key – not one of our finer choral moments!) and that guys were working harder to try to respond to the questions (lots of quiet moments). But when we prayed, it was from the heart and, even on reserve power, there was strength and energy in the prayers. God shows up no matter what.

Third, wherever we are on our journey – tired, excited, depressed, comfortable, sad - God’s love really is high and deep and wide. God can reach us anywhere and be really present in our daily lives if we open ourselves to God’s grace. The guys who came with drained physical and emotional batteries were making themselves available to God. They were taking advantage of an opportunity for God’s grace to recharge the batteries. They still looked pretty beat when we left, but I’m praying that the energy of small group, even if it was low energy, carried them a little further on their journey.

Power outages usually don’t last long in our group and I always value the jump start I get in the middle of the week. I’m looking forward to Wednesday night.