The French Braid

There are times in ministry where you start to ask the question, “Will they remember anything I taught them?” or “Have I made an impact with these students that will last?” And as I am heading into my final weeks of student ministry these questions have been floating around in my mind. But the Lord has reminded me of the French braid.

You see, this year I spent every Friday hanging out with a group of 6th grade girls. We met at the church and drank Italian sodas and hung out with no agenda for the time. After a year, those Fridays turned into deep conversations about life and faith. We talked about how to be a friend and invite others to our Friday hangouts. We talked about how to play our sport as if only Jesus was watching. And most of the time we talked about crushes and buffalos!

And sometimes we sat in silence.

But one week I asked if I could braid one of the girls hair. It quickly turned into a hair chain and we were teaching each other how to braid. One girl looked at herself in the mirror after and said, “Wow, I’ve never had my hair braided before.” When I saw her on Sunday at youth group she had a beautiful French braid. She told me her mother had learned over the weekend and did it for her.

I sat in church this week and I looked up a few rows and saw the French braid again. And sitting next to her was her mom. After the service she came up to me and said, “Lindsey, this is my first time at this church!” I smiled.

The braid is a reminder for everything I’ve taught these students. I may not always see it but they are taking it in, they are listening, they are learning. And God is using it in ways I could never imagine to impact their families and friends. I trust Him with what I cannot see. I trust him to use all the seeds I’ve planted and hair I’ve braided.