Do you ever take time to look back and take stock of what's happening in your life? Like taking inventory, do you stop near the end of one year or the beginning of the next and consider all you've walked out in the past 12 months?
The exercise is clarifying. It helps us see where we've struggled, where we've conquered and how we've grown.
There's something about observing growth that gives us hope. Like a plant in the spring covered in green buds. There is evidence of more to come, and it's exciting.
The same holds true for your small group.
As an SGL, a rewarding exercise is to invest some time and take inventory of your group. Whether you've been together for a month, a year, or longer… take 15 minutes and try this out. List all the kids in your group. Next to each name write out something you've seen each kid walk through in the time you've known them. One experience where you've seen them grow.
This simple exercise equips you in three very powerful ways.
It equips you with specific ways to pray for them. One of the easiest, inexpensive gifts you can give to each kid in your small group is to pray for them.
Because of what you've seen in them, it gives you hope for more to come. Faith is believing what you can't see because of what you can. Sometimes looking back to see how a child has grown can encourage you and give you hope for how they will grow in the future. Especially after they leave your group. A great reminder that your time is invested well.
It empowers you with encouraging words to invest in them and build them up. When you help a kid see how they've grown in the past, it helps them see what's possible in their future.
So, take some time this week and take inventory of the history of your group. Seeing what God has done so far, gives you hope for what He will do next. Do you want to invest words that encourage? How do you determine what your few need to hear from you?