The Power of the Reset Button

By Dan Colwin July 14, 2010

Hey everybody, this is Dan Colwin, the Editor at LeaderTreks. While Doug is leading a mission trip in Memphis, TN (amazing place by the way) I’ll be taking over blogging for the remainder of his trip.

Have you ever worked with a student who totally exceeded your expectations? When you taught them, they eagerly soaked up all they could; when you put them in a leadership position, they led with grace and courage; when you challenged them, they willingly accepted it; and when you evaluated them, they humbly accepted your criticism. These  students are amazing to work with, and they can quickly become our favorites. We look for every opportunity to pour into them because we know they will take us seriously and use the information to produce growth in their own life and the lives of others around them. We have huge hopes for them and they raise the bar of expectations we have for all our students.

Unfortunately, these favorites do not represent all our students and our work with them can quickly set us up for disappointment if we don’t hit the reset button. Now, obviously the reset button isn’t an actual button. It’s not a tangible big red button like you see in all those Staples commercials. But it does exist in our minds, and it has enormous power. When we work with students, we need to realize every student is different. We all know this and it’s one of the things we love about youth ministry. But it also means challenge looks differently for every student. Every time you work with a different student, you need to hit the reset button in your mind, so you’re not holding the new student to the old student’s standard. If you don’t hit the reset button, it can lead to comparisons in your head and heart, and end up hurting your relationships. Challenge every student’s potential, but challenge them on an individual basis. When you hit the reset button and you give them each your whole heart, they’ll blow your mind.