“Where would you like to sit?”
“Right here is fine.”
We started the evening of a local women’s conference sitting in the back row: two YFC staff members and one youth. I can tell you that’s not where we sat by the end of the night. As staff members, we ended up in tears while this young person was up front, calling out to Jesus.
Let’s go back to the days leading up to this conference.
Recently, at YFC we’ve been putting action steps into place to build partnerships with local churches to start what we’re calling a “warm handoff.” Meaning, as youth are either phasing out of our programs due to age or are ready to be plugged into a church, we’re working towards connecting those specific youth to churches who are ready and willing to come alongside them and disciple them further.
One such church is The Park Church here in Rockford. We’re grateful to Pastor Sheila for how she’s already responding to this need. She’s identified women in her church who are ready to mentor some of the young women we work with and graciously extended an invitation to their upcoming women’s conference.
Now, back to that Friday night of the conference.
As we were sitting in the back row, discussing various topics before the conference kicked off, the aforementioned young person interrupted and said let’s move closer. I’m not entirely sure what prompted this, but we moved toward the front and sat in the second row as it began.
Have you ever had the expectation that something you were about to experience was going to be incredible and you just had to find the best seat in the place? Maybe it was at a concert for your favorite band, when you paused to find the best spot to watch the sunset, your child’s dance recital, or a major sporting event. You didn’t want anything to block your view.
So she moved closer. And as she moved closer I think God got a hold of her and wrapped her up in his arms. He tells us that if we draw near to him, he’ll draw near to us (James 4:8). She made that initial step and God met her right there.
The whole conference in its entirety was beautiful. Another YFC staff member happened to be the main speaker for that evening and did an incredible job. At one point, she asked those in the room who wanted to seek out God but needed encouragement from their sisters to come forward and receive prayer. The young woman who started the night in the back row moved to the front of the room.
She didn’t hesitate. She wasn’t embarrassed. She moved another step closer. When it was time to leave that space she didn’t seem to want to leave! She wanted to remain there and receive more of that love that was just poured out on her.
I believe God invites us to not just view what he’s doing, but to get up close and personal and to be a part of the experience as well. It’s not enough to just watch from afar sitting in what we think is the best seat. We get to participate too. The best seat in the house is right at his feet. We get the opportunity to remain in his presence and see all that he’s doing in us, through us, and around us.
For this young woman, who’s been feeling a deep sense of loneliness and struggling with other various life circumstances, she needed Jesus to meet her right there at that moment. She needed his presence and in some way, she knew it too. In that room full of people, the God of the universe, the God of all past, present, and future met her and called her by name and she didn’t want to leave his presence.
Join us in praying for this young woman, as well as the church partnerships we’re forming. Are you interested in discussing further what a partnership with your church could look like? Reach out we’d love to discuss with you and see how we can collaborate.
By Zabrina Ramirez
