Something new

After 2 weeks of volunteering at my church's summer mission community events, I had a 'rest' week. Apart from a couple of football pre-season sessions, I hardly did anything. Netflix became the focal point of my attention (not for the first time!).

Monday morning came. I was half-awake and obviously I wasn't planning on getting out of bed anytime soon. My mum came home from work and she seemed way too eager to talk to me... 

Let's make this clear: There was NO "Netflix and chill"...

Turned out a friend from work (who I don't know) suggested that I go to her church's youth forum this week. 

"There will be people your own age. My friend's 16 year old daughter and 18 year old son are going. They'll help you out. They serve free food: breakfast, lunch and dinner, AND there's even a boy who went to your school who's going. You're sitting at home, bored, at least you can go make friends and listen to the Word of God."

I don't know what you would have done in my shoes but I went along with it.  

What did I have to lose? The only short term plan I had was to go to the park and practise some footie skills. That could wait a few days right?

It was only when my mum dropped me off at the friend's house that I realised what I'd let myself in for. Took me a while to clock that I was waiting in a living room of a stranger's house waiting with two girls (one actually blanked me when I said "Hi" as well...) who were basically ignoring my very presence. It was a whole heap of awkward.

Didn't get better when we actually arrived at the church either. Through the door windows, I could see about 50 young people in the main hall. Is it just me or do 18-21 year old people actually count as "my age"?  I felt like the baby of the group even though I do look a bit older.

(No jokes about how I look please. My ego really doesn't need another bruising. I get enough of that all year in school...)

The day had a bit of a Christian school sex-ed class feel to it. Yeah, the topic was sex and relationships. It was like a seminar/debate rolled into one. It was brutally real and to be honest, that made it really good. And a bit weird now I think about it.

Ever thought you will hear a pastor admit they like oral sex? Or hear a tale of an African dad offering his son the chance to sleep with a prostitute of his choice, expenses paid, when he finished his education?

Remembering I was stuck in a room with complete strangers, I kept silent throughout. But it did also make it feel like a female empowerment conference as well. It might as well have been a female empowerment conference..

The message of respecting girls and not ultimately trying to get in their pants is part of the morals every guy should have. But that's not the point I'm making.

No one really likes to step out of their comfort zone. Sticking to who you know and what you do best is the easy way out. But if you ever want to do anything extraordinary or have new experiences, you've got to step out of that shell and just do it (but not if we're talking about smoking and drugs, just don't do it).

Of course, it's never really that straightforward. Things out of your control can take place which can stop you but it can be worth it. The first two days of being there benefited me in a spiritual sense and I'm sort of glad I didn't hold back from going even though I was a complete stranger.

Unless you make the right choices, a 'just do it attitude" can get you in a lot of trouble but that's easily solved.

Think before you do and don't judge things AND people too easily. You might regret it.

"Open your arms to change but don't let go of your values" - Dalai Lama