On a Whim

One of the hardest things about a blog post is the beginning. How does one throw coals into the fire to get their thought train rolling in a direction that is both understandable and relatively interesting? Frankly, if I knew, I’d be a much better writer. Instead, I’m going to hope that the wonderful metaphor of a thought train lands well so that we can move past this seemingly awkward intro.

I was sitting at work one day, a Friday, and I couldn’t sit still. I’ve gotten everything done that I wanted to get done before the weekend. So, in my free time, I decided to create a blog filled with random thoughts or ramblings of a man who has been saved by the glorious grace of Christ and who is a bit of a nerd, particularly regarding my main man, Peter Parker.

So what should the first topic be in this blog of mine? Perhaps some huge theological interest? Maybe a review of the Venom movie (oh boy, that’ll come at some point). No, instead I’m going to quickly visit some misconceptions about teenagers. I know, that’s strange. But I promise it will be thoughtful… or your money back!

Among my few different jobs is my real passion. I serve as the youth director for my church. I give lessons, play games, lead the youth in worship, and give plenty of counsel. And it’s my sweet spot – Teenagers are definitely the age group that I’m comfortable with interacting with the most. Most people think I’m nuts for being like that, but it’s where God has gifted me.

Anyway, back to the point- misconceptions. First things first, teenagers are people. “What? That’s stupid. Nobody thinks that teenagers aren’t people.” If that’s going through your head, bear with me. So often we treat teenagers like concepts rather than people. .. people that go through struggles that are not too different from the struggles of regular adults. And if you treat them like people, show respect for them, treat them like friends rather than like problems, you’re likely to have a serious impact for good in that youth’s life.

Since they are people, don’t belittle their problems. So many youths that I’ve known have had problems with belonging. They don’t have friends at school. Maybe the high school band is more fragmented than they realized. Maybe their boyfriend just broke up with them. They’ve all heard, “it won’t matter in a few years”. And, honestly, that’s totally true. But the pain is real for them in that moment. Come alongside them in those hard times, regardless of how trivial it may seem to you, and give them love. Point them to something greater, how they find ultimate belonging in Christ. And He’ll see them through.

I suppose this is getting to be pretty long for a blog post. Understanding how short my attention span can be, I’ll leave you with one final thought about teenagers. While I wouldn’t advise parents to treat their own teenagers as just friends (parental authority during teenage years is much more complicated), I would advise those interacting with teenagers that aren’t their kids to be mindful of their power. In other words, it is a misconception that what you do doesn’t have a huge impact on the teenagers around you.

Every word of affirmation, every action or bad habit, every minute taken out of your day… these all have huge impacts on teenagers. I so often find that most of my ministry is done in conversations and social outings, rather than lessons. Don’t get my wrong, I believe those lessons are of the utmost importance, but they only hit home when the youth see them in action. Saying that God loves them works best when I show Christ-like love to them and build them up. On the flip-side, you can’t continuously smoke or cuss in front of a teen and not expect them to absorb your habits. If a teenager looks up to you (if you’re not sure, then yes they do), your words of affirmation can make the difference.

So, on a whim, those are some thoughts. I pray that God would use them. Soli Deo Gloria, friends.