By: Trevor Warren

²³Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” - Matthew 19:23-24

As the last semester approached its end, I began to feel the negative effects of being a double major in college. I had no free time because I was constantly doing either school work or extracurricular activities. My Theology classes require intensive writing assignments, my communication arts/video production classes are all composed of time consuming projects, I’m executive producer of Spring Hill College’s Film Production Club and Director of Spring Hill’s news channel “Badger TV,” I work in Spring Hill’s student center (often late at night), and I work as youth director at a Methodist Church that is about 30 minutes from the College. Honestly, I don’t even know how I have time to sleep (which, I might add, usually isn't until 2 o’clock in the morning).

What’s worse is, especially in my extracurricular activities, I actually want to put lots of effort into my work. If I’m making a video, I work until it is professional and nearly flawless. If I’m directing a news broadcast, I make sure we keep running through it until there isn’t a single mistake. When I’m planning activities, events, and lessons for my youth, I do everything I can to create the best environment possible for my youth to experience God. When I’m working on anything, I can do it alone by my own doing.

As a youth director and future pastor, I’m always looking for different ways to increase the effectiveness of my ministry. I try to find cool and interesting studies for my youth, I’m currently working on a marketing plan for the youth group, I’m constantly involved in trying to reform the United Methodist Church, and I have made it my mission in life to help change the perception of Christianity in the world.

The problem with all of this? I often try to do it all on my own. Rarely do I pray over my decisions, rarely do I look to scripture for guidance in decisions, and rarely do I allow the Spirit to replace my will with God’s will. The greatest challenge that I face at this point in my life is how to make things less about what I do and more about what God does through me; what God does through you.

It is impossible for you to choose to donate your money to charity over buying a brand new sports car. It is impossible for you to be a servant to the homeless man who sleeps on that bench in the park. It is impossible for you to turn the other cheek when you are being mugged on the side of the road. It is impossible for you to forgive that man who raped you as a child. And it is impossible for you to love those who caused you to leave school crying every day. You can’t do any of these things on your own. It would be like trying to fit a camel through the eye of a needle; It is impossible. But through God, all things, even the impossible, become possible.

Discussion Questions: In what ways do you make things about you rather than God? In what ways can you allow God to work through you?

See more devotions from Trevor and our other Young Adult writers, or find our how you can become a writer yourself at our By Young Adults for Young Adults devotion page.