We all have them. Those few students in our group that simply “drive us crazy”! It seems like no matter what we do, nothing or no one can get through to them. When planning or prepping for an event, we sometimes allow ourselves to think, “I hope he/she doesn’t show up tonight.” Then when they do show up, we instantly go into management mode in which we try and manage their behavior. Inevitably, we pull the student aside and have a talk with them; a talk we feel like we’ve had a million times with them.

Now, before I go on, I must be honest, this is not a “how to” in dealing with the difficult student. Nor is it strategies or ideas to help manage their behavior. This post is simply about God using the difficult child to fufill his calling in our lives.

The last couple of years for our annual volunteer staff training, we have begun the weekend by looking at the call to work with students. Parker Palmer’s book Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation and Henri Nouwen’s In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership have been two major influences when looking at the idea of calling.

Two of the main points of calling are:

  1. Calling comes first and foremost from God. Calling starts with God and is for God. (cf. Mark 1:16-20)
  2. We are called to Christ. No matter what we do, the goal is that God wants to shape us into the image of Christ. (cf. Phil. 3:7-11)

**Obviously, there is so much one can say about this topic, but we would need a book to cover that space.

I share this because recently I was talking to some leaders about a difficult student in their small group. This student seemed to be doing anything they could to keep the leaders from working through the curriculum, and distract the rest of the group from learning. Not only that, but the way in which this student went about it, it was as if the student had no regard for anybody but themselves. As we were discussing the student, we did a good job of coming up with all these explanations and prognosis points for the student, as well as a good game plan for the future. But as we talked about the student, all of our frustration levels were rising as to the behavior of this student. For me, I had this incredulous sense of, “how could they behave that way?”

At the end of our conversation, I said something that I believe was as much for me as the leaders. I said, “No matter what is going on with this student, this students has been brought into your lives for a reason. And that reason might not be for the ultimate benefit of the student? Maybe God is showing you something through the student?” It was with that statement that my issues with students, leaders, and parents got a new perspective: They are put into my life for God to fulfill his calling on my life; to become more like Christ.

No matter what happens in our ministries with difficult students, parents, volunteers, or co-workers, one thing I was reminded of this week: All of our lives should be lived out a sense of calling.