When I read this Seth Barnes’ blog highlighting Amie Gallegos’ blog where she shamelessly stripped, sharing her past and the brokenness from which God had lifted her, I was shocked.
Somehow, I knew this Amie’s excellent piece would serve a good purpose in my fellowship and discipleship sessions in South Sudan someday.
What I didn’t know was that it would come handy sooner than later. At the Students’ conference two months ago, this great article opened the flood gates to an incredible encounter and healing among the young ladies during the conference in Yei, South Sudan.
Like Seth said, “What Amie shares is shocking… But it also contains the seeds of connection. I believe young people like Amie are dying for connection and are willing to take great risks to get it.”
At that Conference, we had a Brother-to-brothers and Sister-to-sisters session; where I encouraged the senior Brothers and senior Sisters facilitating the sessions to share their own personal experiences, fears, failures and brokenness before reading Amie Gallegos’ blog for all to hear. They did and the connection happened.
The dam gave way and the flood gate of tears burst. The pain released in the air by these precious souls was almost tangible. I was broken. Several issues troubled me that evening.
First, I wondered why they’ve carried these pain for so long? How could these be happening right under our nose?
How could they have held-in these deep issues of unforgiveness and bitterness, and expect the move of God?
Why does the leadership seem nonchalant, ignorant and powerless to these matters of the heart among the youth?
In the end, there was repentance that opened the doors for healing.
Here are my recommendations to youth leaders and pastors, who desperately long to see young people within their network loosed from the incapacitating grip of yesterday’s baggage of shame and bitterness.
1. Be the first to strip. Your personal struggles with life is crucial to cracking the dam restraining the release of many insecurities. Dispensing bits and pieces of our brokenness at the appropriate moments could be more effective than many empty sermons.
2. When you share your own brokenness, you experience a fulfillment and release that frees you to lead those in need of healing. So learn to do it right.
3. Use books, videos, anything that addresses identity issues. Materials like Amie’s blog and the Mask have worked well for me in creating a healthy atmosphere where young people can freely unmask.
4. Young people need to know they are not alone in their struggles and search for reality. Our puritan disposition to life will often be counter-productive if what we say is different from what they sense and see. Be real yourself! They’ll catch what you are, not what you claim.
5. Validate them in their weakness. They’ve judged themselves and condemned themselves for so long. Don’t add yours. Guide them to the light.
6. Turn on the light slowly. People who have lived in any form of darkness for a long time don’t accept light without first attempting to hide. So, when we turn on the light slowly we deliberately create an enabling platform where they can unmask and publicly pledge their allegiance to Jesus Christ without shame.
7. Each case has itself own fingerprint. Seek the Holy Spirit for directions. He knows better.
8. Truth will never contradict truth, regardless of time or place. Know the truth, live it and teach it. Your personal experience may be real but may not be the truth. Don’t make your experience the message.
9. Find and learn how to connect the Truth, Jesus, to every case. He’s always there, waiting to be discovered. “In the beginning was the Light…”
Kingdom Exploits With Uche 