Your exit from children's ministry has finally arrived. This Sunday you'll bypass the hall of little kids and head on into the gym for donuts and the world of youth group. You've been waiting to spread your wings and escape children's ministry for a while now. You've outgrown the confines of memorizing scripture for lollipops, and lectures without room for debate. You're ready to go, but before you do there are a few things I'd like you to know.
There was a time when I didn't like church. Crazy, it's true. My entry to youth group was not with anticipation like yours, but it was forced. I'd successfully avoided all things youth group until I turned 15, at which point I was forced into a youth retreat to make up for a year's worth of missed CCD (think Sunday School). I went on that retreat with a grudge and a duffle bag full of tie-died Grateful Dead shirts and torn jeans (just to be obnoxious). That weekend saved my life. That weekend I accepted Jesus Christ. That weekend I fell in love.
So Sarah, I hope in youth group you'll fall in love too.
I'm tempted to put a name tag on you that says, "Hi my name is Sarah, and I'm only 11" or have dad volunteer wearing his NRA hat. I'm afraid of the boys at youth group - its true. For a few years I hope they'll stay at bay. At some point though they won't and that's okay - but that's not the love I'm hoping for you. I hope you'll fall in love with Jesus. You see Sarah, you have a lot of head knowledge about God. You have more knowledge than I'd think possible for an 11 year old. You can find Nehemiah or Titus with your eyes closed. You can rattle off all the right answers without much thought. Now, I hope your head knowledge will become balanced with heart knowledge. When I was in youth group I fell in love with Jesus, and for 25 years He has been the great love of my life ( I'm not discounting dad here - Jesus comes first to us both). I wish for you for the great love of your life to begin. I pray all those memory verses, and VBS songs of your elementary years, will become a spring board for your heart. I hope your heart will dive deep because head knowledge is only worth so much my dear - it's the love of Christ that will set your life on fire.
Sarah, I hope you'll wrestle:
Up until now you've been fed a lot of "faith facts," but there have been few opportunities to wrestle with your faith. Some people will tell you that questioning your faith, or questioning the Bible is wrong. Don't believe them. To tell you the truth, I think the people that don't wrestle with their faith haven't actually read the Bible. There's a lot in there to question! I hope you'll wrestle with questions of faith during your youth group years. I'm praying God will raise up great leaders who will wrestle with you, and help you make your faith your own. I promise to do that with you too. I won't judge you or criticize you for it. I don't want you to adopt my faith Sarah, I want you to find and embrace your own. You know the story of Jacob. He wrestled with God (through a man) throughout the night, and in the morning the man says to him, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." So wrestle away my girl, I can't wait to see how God molds you and blesses you.
I hope you'll meet a kid in a Grateful Dead shirt:
There's going to be a night at youth group when a girl walks in wearing a Grateful Dead shirt, or some other obnoxious thing, that sets her apart from your comfortable Southern Baptist Girl group. I'm praying hard that your faith, and character, and love will be strong enough to welcome her in amidst her hard edges and snarky comments. You see she's been looking for love, for a savior, in a bottle of Vodka, the bowl of a pipe, and the edge of a razor - and she hasn't found it yet. I hope when she walks in the door you, and your friends, will love her, because when I walked into that retreat 25 years ago, people loved me. That love made all the difference. The youth pastor, his wife, the other kids... they all looked past my foul language and poor choices, and they saw what our Heavenly Father saw, one of His lost kids. Because they loved me I was able to meet the God of love. Many Christian parents today are keeping their kids out of youth group because they don't want their children corrupted by the girls in Grateful Dead shirts. I know that through her you're going to hear things I'll wish you didn't hear. But I believe in you, and the strength of our God, and I know the frank truth that you'd have eventually heard all that anyways. So I am sending you off to youth group with the prayer that that through you, that girl in the Grateful Dead shirt will hear things she really needs to hear. So when you see her arrive, think of your momma, and go welcome her in.
Off you go sweet Sarah. Don't forget to have a lot of fun - eat 1,000 slices of pizza, make incredible friends, and stay up all night on retreats. I can't wait to hear all about, or as much as you wish to share, I know God has great things in store for you.
Love,
Mom
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