Somebody once said, "I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words."
Everybody has an opinion on the state of our society and the challenges that face our young people. Some are optimistic, some are pessimistic, and some fall somewhere in between. It's important to remember that not everyone expects the worst. What if we refuse to believe the worst in today's youth but instead call them towards God's best for their lives?
The above quote is actually from Hesiod, an 8th-century BCE Greek poet. Even Greek poets who lived 2,700 years ago struggled to understand best how to nurture the rising generations. You may perhaps already know that the majority of Jesus' 12 disciples are thought to have been teenagers. The youngest was most likely John, sitting somewhere in his early teens. Jesus takes these young people and radically transforms the world, establishes his church and uses them to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven.
What if we began to believe and expect that our young people can be used in similar ways? What if we shifted from the ancient old hat narrative of 'no hope for young people', to 'God can use them in a mighty and dynamic way'?
Our young people have the ability to engage in their faith, rely on the Holy Spirit and see God move in extraordinary ways. The same Holy Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead, that is at work in our lives, is also available to our teenagers. At DTI our young people engaged in worship, prayed for and had words for one another - many of them encountered Jesus in new ways and were filled with the Holy Spirit. We want to make sure there are opportunities across the year for them to be encouraged to continue to go deeper in their faith and relationship with God. It is important that we don’t wait for a couple of big events each year, but that their faith is continually an active part of their lives!
Let's begin to get excited about their futures and expect the kind of depth that comes from walking closely with the Lord. They might surprise us all with the way in which God can use them in His Kingdom.
In this next season, we want to take time to reset the table, empower our youth leaders and engage our young people on a deeper level, helping them thrive in their faith. Our young people are not the ‘church of tomorrow’ but are very much a part of the church today, they can encounter God in the same ways that adults can, and can (and do!) hear from God and minister to others. We are so excited for all that God will continue to do through our young people!
