Caring for Bob

I just stepped out for something at my car, and Bob was out there. He was definitely down in the dumps, but, unfortunately, I haven't the relationship with him to be able to dig deep... which is to say that, though I tried, he wasn't bitin'. I asked if there was something I could pray for. "No." So I asked him what he's doing today. "Probably ridin'." After some more small talk, I asked him if he'd ever considered what his purpose is in life, and if he thought it might be something more than riding his bike around town. "I don't know." Mind you, throughout this five minute conversation, I wasn't looking for a conversion/salvation moment. I simply was clutching at straws, praying for an opening with a student I don't know well, but was moping outside the YD building. In short, I was trying to figure out a loving, caring way to point him towards Jesus as the healer and hope for whatever hurt/issue/pain he is facing, w/o preaching to him, or telling him anything he's doing wrong. In the end, I simply let him know that my door is open, and went back inside.

While it was a frustrating conversation (you want to care for these kids and fix their hurts), it renewed in me the desire to pursue relationship with students, not just have program where they have the Gospel thrown out to them with the hopes that somebody will grab it (though some do). It's in relationship that they'll open up and allow us to share Christ. It's in relationship that they'll see Jesus modeled in us... at least, they ought to. I want them to, but, if the only time they have relationship with us is on a Monday night, or during a Bible study, then they're not seeing the real us very often.