You have a problem. You love students and are drawn to the drama of their lives. You yearn for them to walk with Jesus earlier than you did. But you question if your passion lines up with your gifts. You see others who seem so natural at it — a “naturalness” you don’t feel.

Your passion is key to the equation, and you can solve it like a math problem:

• Pray for opportunities

• Watch for them — they often come in small doses. Perhaps the longer checkout lane is the right choice due to the kid who is bagging groceries.

• Get your feet wet by testing different options — have a one-on-one talk with a student you like; ask if you can sit in on a small group; attend a large-group meeting and see if you can connect to students there; sign up for behind-the-scenes tasks; hire several students to do a job for you and eat lunch with them afterwards; the sky’s the limit . . .

• Record the experiences that made you say, “that’s why I was put on earth.”

• Increase your exposure to those types of involvements

• Watch God’s gifts come alive in you