A Student Pastor’s Broken Heart

Today, I was working at my desk preparing for my two counseling sessions with two students and their families this evening when I opened Facebook and seen there seemed to be an issue at a local school today. That is when it all clicked and that is when God said, write this note.

A Student Pastor’s Broken Heart comes from many different situations the Pastor deals with when working with students and their families. Some of the congregation who does not work with students may not see the effect it has on their personal lives and spiritual lives. I am not in any way saying this is a miserable career because it is the best career God could have ever given me. What I am saying is this career can be demanding in today’s world with the students and their generation. I truly love my career. I love Wednesday nights when students come running up to me because they are so excited to see me and my team and to tell us about what is going on in their lives.
However, it is the days and nights like to night that I struggle with burdens of my students and what they must see and face in their lives. You can ask any student that I encounter and I am certain they would say that I care about their well-being. When I truly care about students, their burdens become my burdens as the Bible says it should. It is tonight that God wants me to share my broken heart for students with other people.

ADDICTION
Addiction seems to be the norm for teens nowadays. Most teens have either tried or addicted to something that is not glorifying to God. I am not the one to say certain addictions are worse than others because all addictions have power over someone’s life. From drug addictions to alcohol to pornography or any other addiction students have. Addiction has a powerful grip on the world and it is getting stronger on the students. I read today where a school must have random monthly screens at the schools with K-9 officers to check for drugs. If I read correctly, a middle school screen today came back positive for drugs in it. Pornography is the fastest growing addiction in our schools. 90% of boys and 60% of girls are exposed to porn before they are 18 while most viewing starts at the age of 12! The devil as a strong hold on these students. The students are influenced so much by the negative addictions in the world daily. I heard some people say it is easier to get drugs while in school than it is as an adult on the streets. This is a problem. A Student Pastor has a broken heart for students dealing with addiction.

SEXUALITY
This is a controversial topic today. There are so many ways people can label themselves, it is hard to keep up with. I do counseling with this a lot. I will never say that you are wrong in a counseling meeting; however, I will show them what the Bible says about issues. I will show the God’s love and show them God has a plan for their lives. The society has such a hold on students that the church is losing them daily and at a fast-paced number. When a student comes to me struggling with sexuality, it usually starts because a friend did it first or something of that nature. Do we not think the devil uses this method? I firmly believe the devil knows our weaknesses and will use them to sway us off the path God has given us. Commercials, legal issues, and the society are being used by the Devil to persuade students. Sexuality is not the issue here, sin is. A Student Pastor has a broken heart for students dealing with sexuality.

DEPRESSION AND DEATH
I have seen so many early deaths. What I mean by early deaths is students dying or attempting to take their own lives. When I was a senior in high school, a guy a went to school with in middle school, committed suicide than just a few months later a girl I went to school with was killed in a car accident. This school year, since August, I know of two suicides, two deaths by car accidents, and multiple attempts on suicide because of depression. It breaks my heart when we lose a student from an accidental death or a death from a diagnosis. The students that go to school with them struggle and I know their family struggles because they feel they had their whole life in front of them. It is heartbreaking. The students who are in depression breaks my heart as well. They are in a spiritual battle during this fight. They need the love of God to wrap them up, strengthen, love and restore them in His eyes. The students who feel the need to attempt suicide breaks my heart because they do not see the plans God has for them and I want them to know God and his plans. There was a reason for the failed attempt and God will show them that. It kills me when a student has a successful suicide attempt. For a student, so young to feel the need to not live anymore makes me wonder why they feel that way. Surely someone in their family loved them. Surely, they had a friend who cared. I know they had God who had a plan for them. A Student Pastor has a broken heart for students dealing with depression and death.

There are so many more topics, I can discuss and maybe one day God will allow me to write on them; however, just this week, the topics above are reasons my heart has been broken. I am encouraged through my broken heart because it shows me that God has me in the right ministry field. I am also encouraged by the verse Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted” There are many reasons a student pastor’s heart is broken but God has all the right answers to help if we true and obey him. Thank you for reading.