When I went to study at the Faith Mission Bible College a few years back, the last thing I thought I would be called to do would be to work with young people. I hated kids/young peoples work and had constant run in’s with the local ‘youth’ whenever I ran into them.
Yet here I am 6 years later working with kids, albeit through the medium of sport. God has a sense of humour, but He also equips those he calls to ensure they can actually build the relationships necessary to start to influence the young people in this generation.
What was I like when I was 15? Hitting the pubs, hanging in groups on the streets, listening to loud music, waking folk up in the middle of the night with our loud chatter as we walked home….smoking, desiring the company of young ladies, rejecting the advice of my elders…..
Does this sound familiar to you? Is this what the vast majority of young people are doing in your locality? Yes some are aggresive and cause vandalism, others are taking drugs and causing problems in the community, but they are a TINY minority. The church seems to want young people to stop being young people and behave like good little christians…..all of this before they even come to faith or understand what being involved in a church community is about.
Remember what you were like when you were a young person? How messed up your thinking and beahaviour was? Didnt you experiment with drink or maybe drugs or chafe against the authority of adults? Why are we so intolerant of the very same things now we have ‘grown up’? Perhaps the first step to reconnecting to the young generations is to humble ourselves and remember that we were once very little different – only through God’s Grace do we now see and feel differently.
Next time you see a group of young people try and remember that you were once little different and smile!
