They had no clue they were being watched. Its not that I was all that stealth in my observations, its just that at their age they are largely oblivious to any attention being given them that doesn't directly result in some form of recognition or aggrandizement. Most boys in their early teens come by it honestly, however. I know I certainly did and the residue lasted well beyond my teen years.
They congregated at the gym before he arrived. Arriving in pairs, with one solitary young man showing up on his own, it was apparent they were waiting for something or someone. Totalling five in number, they were an apparently good looking bunch of guys (on this, I'm not certain as my teenage daughters often inform me I have largely divergent opinions from theirs as to who is "hot" and who is "not"). Some teen girls seemed to notice them even before I did so I'm guessing they were closer to "hot" that I would have given them credit for.
Half way through my lat pull-downs, one young man started clapping his hands together very slowly. His gaze clearly fixed on someone beyond me and to my back, I didn't turn around until another teen joined in the disruptive rhythmic cadence. Suddenly all five boys were standing and clapping loudly, increasing in tempo with each beat. What began quietly was now a nearly deafening applause filling the entire space of the gym. Then I saw him. A good-looking guy (much closer to my own generation therefore lending credibility to my own judgement, I suppose) in his early 30's if I were to estimate.
Hugging each teen with some kind of a preestablished routine: hug with the right fist clenched, bang the other guy's back three times and then while backing away from each other, lift your right fist, palm forward and right elbow at 90 degrees straight toward the roof, the new arrival greeted each boy intentionally. Every one of them knew the routine and not a single one missed a beat. It was clearly male bonding at its core.
It was then I noticed a couple T-shirts and silk screened images on the teens. Not a single shirt the same, though several included verses of Scripture or Christian symbolism. In an instant, I realized I was looking at myself from a decade or more before. This moment was in the present, but the reflection in life's mirror was me and a crew of "my boys" from my era in youth ministry. Fond memories swept over me and a short prayer of thanksgiving for a time and gone by was on my lips. Those were very special times for me and my crew.
Two more sets on the lat pull-down machine and I was on my way to working biceps. Not my most favorite muscle group to work to be sure, so it was nice to have something (or someone) to serve as a bit of distraction.
Obvious to me now, I was watching a youth minister hang out with some of his boys. I watched with a different view and a more informed eye. So many familiar things came back to me. The banter, the good natured kidding, the masculine one-upsmanship... this was most definitely a youth minister working out with some of his more athletic boys during their spring break. There was no doubt about it!
Then I saw a glimpse of something I'd never witnessed before from this vantage point. I caught those young teenage men in the very act and I was sobered to the very core of my being. I began watching how they watched him. The youth minister likely didn't even have the awareness or the distance of space and time to catch a glimpse of it, but I saw it as clear as day and felt the weight of it as much as the 60 lb curling bar I was lifting for my fourth and final set. These teens hung on every word this guy spoke and watched his every move.
In less obvious ways, they were modeling him. Standing around him, listening to his stories, hanging even onto his vocal inflection, the degree of respect and honor these young men have for their spiritual leader was bold as life itself.
I had to resist from approaching the honored leader and saying something -- simply calling his attention to it would have been fairly presumptuous on my part and may simply have indicated something he already knew. So my resolve was to rather pray that God protect this leader's integrity and increase the power of his positive influence in the life of these students and the others in his care.
i had a view into the power of leadership and the magnitude of God working through a human soul. It was then that I also realized the power of the Cross in a life surrendered to it. As others watch a Christ-follower they will be watching them, watching Him, the Christ, and that is something amazing to see.
What influence of the Cross have you recently seen in someone's life?
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ"
(1 Cor. 11:1)
(1 Cor. 11:1)
