currently i'm working on getting a degree in secondary education (junior high specifically) focusing on both english and reading. i love kids, especially midget ones who range from ages 11-14. yes, they're cocky, stuck up, "too cool", and smart aleck... but they are unlike any other age group. it may not seem like it, but all they want is older people to love on them. they desire to be loved and desire to have someone older tell them they can do something; that they can make a difference.
reminds me of a verse... don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity (1 timothy 4:12, NLT)
kids are constantly being told that they wrong... that they don't know anything... that they could never make a difference. and then we wonder why this age group is so troubled. they are in dire need of love. they need people telling them that they are worth something and that they too have been called on a mission by Yeshua. i was honored... and blessed... to be able to work with the junior high youth group, powerlife, at my church last year. the girls in my group were incredible. i witnessed transformation in each of them. as the year went on, the more they were told 'they matter' and 'they too have a battle to fight', their passion for Jesus flourished. beauteous. people may not think it, but middle schoolers watch older people like hawks. and even when you don't think they're listening, they've heard you loud and clear. 11-14 year olds are not dumb... yes they do stupid things, but so do people who are 25, or even 55. we don't give these kids enough credit. we treat them as though they've already failed, which only sets them up for future failure. it's sad.
i keep using "kids"...
in today's world, the definition of "kid" is: someone younger then 18 who doesn't know a whole lot, doesn't know what's best for them, and gets in trouble often.
but i tell ya... i would love to be called a kid or a child. our definition of these words is skewed. the Father uses these words with a different definition in mind.
the Lord protects those of childlike faith (psalm 116:6, NLT)
- we need to start the foundation of Jesus Christ early within kids. as people get older, it gets harder and harder for the Truth to be heard... adults have lost their sense of faith and hope... they need physical proof to believe something. children don't need that physical evidence.
the real children of abraham, then, are all those who put their faith in God (galatians 3:7)
so you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus (galatians 3:26)everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God (1 john 5:1)
we are called to be children; to have child-like faith. why have we turned "kid" or "child" into such a negative connotation? i pray we refocus, and we rediscover what the true meaning of child is. 13 year olds lash out because being a "child" has become negative... it whispers to them that they are not capable.
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i say all this because of my passion for reaching this age group... yet i now stand at a crossroad... is this really where i'm being called...
i think i would definitely enjoy teaching, but... i wouldn't be able to share the Good News with my students. that saddens me. i can only pray for them on my own time. my heart longs to share Jesus with them, but because of laws inside classrooms, i am unable to speak one word about God.
there is a leader at my church who in college was going to school for elementary education, but once she realized that she ached to share the Word and wouldn't be able to inside of a school, she realized she was being called to full time ministry. i'm not saying that is my case, but i wonder...
with grounded developing, my heart is changing. i still have a passion for middle school kids, but more and more my heart is breaking to reach 18-24 year olds. i strongly feel that both of these age groups are going to be a huge part of my life, yet i'm not exactly sure how.
a friend of mine once asked me, "if you could get paid to do anything in the world, what would it be?"... my answer was something along the lines of "graduate from college and work with people, but i'm not really sure." ... well... i think i finally have an answer... and because of the longing i have for this, i wonder if it's where He is calling me...
i want to work as a counselor in a church, focusing on people 25 and younger... while being heavily involved in college aged ministry.
whew. that felt good to say.
2 things... first, what is it that you want to do? - could God be calling you to a job that you're not currently in? - do you believe the position you have is where the Father wants you? maybe, maybe not... i challenge you to evaluate where you are and if it aligns with the passion Jesus has painted on your heart.
secondly, say a quick little prayer for me. as much as i want to know right now, i'm okay with the Lord telling me when it's time. i don't want to be more concerned about His will for me then He is. i believe the truth will be revealed in time. but until then, pray.
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