Not a fan.

Hi everyone! It's been quite a while since Esther and I posted last. Summer and school get in the way of everything so easily, can't they? But that's no excuse. First, I want to explain some of the things I, Ruth, have been going through.

So, I had an amazing summer. However, it ended quite abruptly when I had to get my tonsils out two weeks before school started. Oh my goodness, I never want to re-live those two weeks again! God definitely taught me a lesson on how blessed I am to have my health. But I recovered quickly and my throat is much better now.

When school started, I was instantly bombarded with projects and schedules and volleyball games--pretty much everything you can think of. Praying to God became rare, and I slowly stopped thinking about Him as much as I had in the summer. People have always told me how much easier it is to be on fire for God in the summer than during the school year, but I never understood it until this year.

In the summer, I go to church camps and missions trips and help feed the homeless in the inner city with my youth group. During these excursions, I'm thinking about how amazing God is and how blessed I am to have this kind of environment with other teens to minister to less fortunate people. I'm not stressed out and I don't have the pressure of projects and drama and sports on my mind.

So, I finally "got" what people had been saying when this school year started. I was kind of angry at the world. I didn't want summer to end! I wanted to go back to St. Louis where I'd gone on a mission trip in July, and help the people there. I didn't want to be stuck in a classroom all day. I mean, how can you minister there, right?

Wrong. I've realized that you don't have to be somewhere special to share God's love. You can be anywhere! You just have to allow God to speak through you and fulfill His will through you.

My youth group's fall retreat last weekend epitomized how my relationship with God was headed. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't going out on the weekends and doing bad things! I just wasn't relying on God as I much as I should have and spending enough time with Him.

We had a guest speaker at the retreat and the theme for the weekend was "Not a Fan." That might confuse you at first (trust me, I was confused too!), but this clever little phrase is referring to how we view God. Are we fans of Him, or true followers? The speaker went on to say that people can be a fan of someone and know everything about that person, but not truly know and have a deep relationship with them.

You can know all the books of the Bible and all the Bible stories, but what about the Creator? Do you know Him? The speaker explained that the Greek word for "know" is yada. In order to yada someone, you have to talk to them daily.

So, I encourage you, crave a relationship with God. Desire to know Him. Want to follow Him. Don't be a fan. Be a follower, and follow God's footsteps.

What's your yada moment??

"Fans may try to follow Jesus out of their own strength, but followers of Jesus are empowered by the Holy Spirit" -Kyle Idelman

Be looking for a new series Esther and I are starting called Letters to Your Younger Self!