As my kids are now teens, I find more and more, that they enjoy and are encouraged by hearing my stories of when I was a teenager. And as I am re-living the teenage years through my children, it brings back so many memories of my own experiences.
Our history and the personal journey that God has brought us through is so important to remember and to share. Our stories, past and present, specifically of how God has worked in and through our lives, can help to encourage, inspire and disciple our children.
Luke 8:39 “Go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.”
My faith journey really began when I was in Junior High School. It was a challenging time for me. Life didn’t make sense or seem worth it. It felt so unfulfilling that we existed to go to school again and again, just to get a job and die.
My very best friend Jenny, and her family were faithful and devout Catholics. When Jenny and I would have sleepovers one of our common late night topics was religion. I wanted to know about God. I wanted to know about heaven and hell.
I had gone to church with my family when I was younger, but with a couple of moves we hadn’t gotten plugged back into a church. Through these years I thought I was on a journey to find my “religion”. My family ended up attending Saddleback Church the summer after my freshman year of High School. The High School group was meeting in the movie theater across from Trabuco Hills High School (*which is now a Sprouts grocery store…fun fact for you locals).
The very first time I attended the High School Ministry service Pastor Doug Fields was preaching. I understood for the first time that it wasn’t about a religion, it was about a relationship with Jesus. It was like God just reached down and grabbed my heart.
I had found what I had been searching for. I understood that God created me with a purpose and that I am wonderfully and uniquely made and there IS a reason why I am here on this earth. This lit my soul on fire. I wanted to know more, I wanted to serve, I wanted to be at church as much as possible and be part of every activity I could.
My life was forever changed on that Sunday morning in a movie theater.
You might have a Junior Higher or High Schooler in your life right now. I want to encourage you to share YOUR stories! Our kids and our youth are trying to find their way and their identity. They are trying to discover the purpose for their life. This is a GREAT place for them to be.
They feel the discontentment of our world and they are searching for answers. For each of us to be able to embrace, accept and understand the fullness of the gift of God’s grace we also need to understand the emptiness of what it feels like to be without it.
So, as parents and adults we have a special opportunity with our teens to meet them in this place of wrestling. Words of compassion, love, hope, encouragement and testimony can be very powerful in these times. “I am so sorry you are going through this. I am so sorry you feel this way.
I know this is hard. There is so much sin and brokenness in our world and sometimes it feels like too much. But, here is what I do know. God loves you and is for you. He has a purpose for your life. You are perfectly and wonderfully made in His image.
When I surrendered my life and started to follow Jesus, He turned my life around. I believe He is going to use this circumstance in your life to work in and through you. I love you more than you know and will always love you…I am here for you and am praying for you.”
Our kids are hungry to know the truth. Although it might not seem like they care what we think… when they respond with grunts, eye rolls and sighs… they ARE watching and listening to us, research tells us that they are! So, speak truth over them, and testify to all of the ways you have seen God at work.
Remind them again and again and again of who God is, and who they are in Christ. Be their loudest voice. If we aren’t teaching our children, we can be sure the world is filling in the gaps for us…through social media, google searches, commercials, tv shows, movies, peers and so many other avenues.
In Deuteronomy 6: 5-9 it says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Pray hard, extend grace, love big and keep your eyes on Jesus. May God give you everything you need. May He bless you and your family. May you have a new sense of strength and encouragement to carry you through. And may you walk boldly in unconditional love and grace.
