I searched for my spark and I found it in God

BY REV. MICHAELA DRAIN

Trigger warning: This article looks at the topic of suicide in youth and young adults.

The song that has been blasting through my speakers all summer is “The Spark” by Kabin Crew. Besides it being a fun song with a good beat, the lyrics are what keep me singing along at the top of my lungs. Somehow this group of middle schoolers from Cork, Ireland summarized the reason why I do what I do in my ministry with youth and young adults. If you haven’t heard the song, the chorus goes:

“Think you can stop what we do? I doubt it. We’ve got the energy, we’ll tell you all about it. I searched for my spark and I found it. Everybody in the club starts bouncing.”

On the surface, these words do seem rather simple and not related to faith at all. I admit that it is silly and an oversimplification of my ministry but there is scientific proof to back my new summer mantra. If you work anywhere within youth and young adult ministry, you have seen a rise in the number of people in mental and emotional crisis in the past few years. Psychologists have noted a considerable spike in counseling since 2020, even at prestigious universities. Places where students are supposed to be the top performers in the nation. Students at these prestigious schools are struggling with mental, emotional, and physical strains that impede their abilities. Often these struggles lead many youth and young adults to consider extreme solutions to end the pain. They turn to solutions like delusion, drugs, alcohol, adrenaline-seeking, and even suicide. This is usually when they pay a visit to the chaplain. Slightly due to name association, they come to me when they are mentally, physically, and spiritually drained of life. In counseling sessions, I find that this visit is not their first stop. People seek faith for healing internal turmoil as a last resort.

Dr. Lisa Miller, a psychoanalyst who studies the impact of spirituality on the brain, says that a life of faith should be high on the list for healing psychological crisis. In her study of the brain development of youth after experiencing trauma, she found that the quickest way to predict a child’s resiliency is to see if they have a personal faith. I have included an infographic on all her statistics so that you can see the massive difference made by a life of faith. To put these numbers in perspective, the FDA only needs a 10 percent proven viability rate to approve treatments and medication for public use. Spirituality goes way above and beyond the FDAs requirement. Spirituality is so beneficial because having a life of faith gives you a purpose and a built-in support system to live out that purpose.

This is where the kids from Cork got their lyrics right on point. When you find your “spark,” it gives you the energy to thrive in life no matter the circumstances. People who have a purpose (or a spark) are so full of life that they cannot be stopped. They may be slowed down by things like trauma, depression, and life disruptions but they will keep pushing toward that purpose in everything that they do.

Dr. Miller’s study found that the best preventative barrier for people in mental crisis is when mental health professionals work alongside the person to develop a spiritual core. She states that a strong spiritual core stops further deterioration of the brain and encourages post-traumatic growth. To use the terminology of Gen Z and Gen Alpha, “hallelu-lu is the solulu.”

So all that to say, I think that song plays on repeat in my mind because I help people find their spark in the Holy Spirit. Whenever a person comes to me for pastoral care, it is because they are living life without their spark. They don’t know who they are, what they are supposed to do, or where they should go. My job as a chaplain is to counsel them as they find that thing that makes their heart strangely warm. This job is easy because we are already doing this at our churches. We don’t need any fun programs or new coffee shops. We already help people find their spark. We have so much spark that we fan it into a flame and put that flame on the signs in front of our church buildings.

Dr. Miller describes the steps to spiritual awareness development as “purpose, path, practices, and people.” We might not use those same words, but we already do these steps at our churches. We remind people that they have a purpose when we encourage them to share their spiritual gifts with the world. We connect people with their path when we talk about our beliefs in small groups on Wednesday nights and in worship on Sunday mornings. We have an overabundance of practices that give us the means of God’s grace from prayer, to confession, to Holy Communion, and so much more. And finally but most importantly, we surround them with people who love and support them in their call.

So maybe “The Spark” should be the summer mantra of the church. Because chaplains are not the only ones whose job is to help youth and young adults find their spark for life.

It is the job of the church as well. Hopefully this song helps you to remember that you need to share your spark of the Holy Spirit with others. God really is transforming the world from unending suffering to unending grace. And if you need more energy to tell the world all about, I have the perfect jam to get you hyped for the job.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-2738255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Or call the 988 Lifeline. These services are free and confidential.