Friday Night Lights

I love to watch the show "Friday Night Lights." It is tv show about high school football in Texas. The main character is Coach Taylor. He's coached the team to many a state championships but this season he's coaching a new team that isn't quite up to par. In the show, he believes in his team and inspires them to overcome whatever obstacles they might be facing. It's inspirational to me to wach Coach Taylor believe in these high school youth. I love shows like these. I guess that's why I became a teacher and work with youth. I want to be someone who inspires kids and helps them to change their lives.
I was catching up on my tivo the other day and watching the latest episode of "Friday Night Lights." In this episode, Coach Taylore encourages this kid who comes from a rough part of town to give up his gun and devote himself to football. It is football that's going to get him out of the situation and the kid trusts the coach and does it. I know it's cheesy but it got me thinking. I just spent the last week with 10 high school youth on a mission trip to Sneedville, Tennessee. Sneedville is located in Hancock Co which is the poorest county in the state. I was looking forward to this trip as opportunity for seeing how much the kids could grow in this experience. I wasn't really thinking about the things that I might learn. The youth did a great job. They amazed me everyday with the things they did. There were 8 kids from the group I was with and 2 that were there on their own. The kids blended together and included everyone from the first game they played together. One of the themes of the week were finding God moments. They things they shared impressed me. One God moment for someone was listening to the problems that existed in the county and the fact that they were here to help. Another God moment was when the older lady whose house they painted said she loved us. My God moments were seeing the youth. They were the prayers they prayed when called upon and the devotion they were responsible for. I was so proud to see some of the girls speak up who don't always share what they have going on in their minds and hearts. There were tears in my eyes when one youth played his guitar and sang a song and then his brother said it was the best part of his day.
Friday Night Lights made me think that I learn as much from the youth as they could ever learn from me. They teach me how to love on a daily basis. They show their love for God in the way they interact with each other and the easy way they say I love you to each other and to me. Over the past few years, they are the ones that have shown me that to show the love I have for God I have to show the love I have for others. It is about more than just feeling it.
1 John 3:16-17 says "We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us - and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother and sisteer in need and yet refuses help?"
These young people are showing this kind of love.