Right now I have a student that I’m discipling one on one. He’s no longer in my small group, but he has asked me to keep our relationship going to help him work through some stuff. This is the only guy in 4 years that I’ve agreed to do this for. He is a student that I connected with 
really well, and I see a lot of myself in who he is and where he’s at in his current life stage.
This student is someone that has given me my most glorious ministry successes, by the grace of God, but he’s also given me my most frustrating heartaches. He gets it one minute, then turns right back around the next. I may put him in a spot that breaks him out of his comfort zone and really feel like we’re getting somewhere, then he completely clams up and won’t talk to me for days. Despite our connection and the times of obvious work being done by God, the downsides can be extremely frustrating to the point of wanting to give up.
I think we probably all have that “one student” that fits this description. The one we pour into, only to be let down by a bad decision, one bad day, or even a complete turning away from their faith. These can be some of the most crushing blows in ministry.
But God has put this student in your life for a reason. Those of us in ministry have been given a huge responsibility to shepherd God’s flock, and that’s not always an easy task. But the fact remains–God has entrusted you with your students. Don’t give up. Don’t let discouragement turn you away from helping point students to God. One day you’ll break through and it will all be worth it.
