A glass can only spill what it contains.

Revelations are fun. I had one the other day. Whenever I say revelation, I usually mean I recalled something I already knew, but just barely grasped the relevance of, or I finally truly understood something. So it's nothing new, really. I've been trying to wrap my head around the idea of making something compelling or interesting to someone else. I came to the conclusion that in order to get someone excited or interested in something, you must be excited or interested in it first. My art work isn't going to be good to someone if I don't believe it's good enough to be on the page, or my witty remarks won't be considered funny unless I think they are funny enough to be uttered first. Or something like that. I might be overstepping my bounds a little bit here...

I was in the mood to be moved by the music on my ipod while at school the other day, so that naturally means I'm going to put on someone like Mewithoutyou. They always do it for me. Something about the instruments they employ and the themes they incorporate just inspires me. One of their songs came up: "A Glass Can Only Spill What it Contains" and I was zooming through the canyons of my brain.

I was thinking about current issues in the youth group. At least they're issues that have been on my heart for a while. I've always struggled with the idea of getting the students in the youth group to get into scripture. I've been trying to figure out how to actively engage them in the process of discussing the meaning of scripture and struggling to grasp it for themselves. Tom and I have recently endeavored to try this via our little webisodes. Our approach has been to try and make it simple and fun in order to engage them. I'm not saying this isn't the way to do it, but may be there is more to it than that.

As I was jamming to my tunes and considering all this stuff, I realized that may be in order to inspire the students to want to study scripture, we must be inspired ourselves to do so. We must be as excited about scripture as we want them to be. It made perfect sense to me. "Be the change you want to see in the world," and all that good stuff. Ya, it's a neat and tidy idea, but I'll be the first to say that I haven't been entirely exhilarated by studying scripture lately. My glass hasn't exactly been filled with scriptural study. It's funny that this realization hits me when I need it most. When I'm looking to start off this year right. I love when that happens. So basically if I want to see people drinking up scripture like it's living water, I need to be over-flowing with it. Among other things, of course.



It really makes awful good sense. Why would I bother listening to someone when they themselves do not follow what they say? Christ knew this himself. What better way to teach creation how to live then to come down and do it himself? I like what he says to Nicodemus in John 3:11 when he says, " I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen."

We could take this a step further though. If we want the students to make a difference in the community and to change lives, they need to be convinced that they can do it, and they need to be convinced by the power of Christ Jesus who works through us to accomplish such things. If we want our students to believe in Christ's love, we must also believe in Christ's love, but also act accordingly. How can we expect people to come to believe if we don't even act like we do, or if we don't believe it ourselves? "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14-15.

It's just a small thought of mine that's been on my brain for the past few days. I ought to be spilling forth enthusiasm for scriptural study and the participation in a life-changing relationship with my Savior. I need to be as convinced by Christ's message as I want others to be in order to serve as a compelling example. Christ's life and sacrifice wouldn't have been so powerful if he wouldn't have been so thoroughly convinced by it himself.