Youth Pastors, Youth Workers, Parents…

This is why we’re called to ministry. To reach out to the hurting, the lost, the broken, to love them unconditionally when no one else does, to share with them the same hope, meaning, and purpose of life that we have found to be a light in their life when no one else is…

So many of us were this student in middle school. I know I was:

To be honest when I first saw this, I got a little angry. Not only because of the reality of this world and how mean we can be to each other at such a young age, but because this reminds me of the lack of leadership and discipleship in the local church. To put it plainly, the lack of people stepping up, reaching out, and caring for others outside of themselves…

In my last ministry, this kid seemed to be the usual. He wasn’t suicidal, but was crying out for someone, anyone to simply acknowledge him… we create these excuses and reasons as to why we’re not equipped for middle schooler’s:

I don’t have the patience, I’m just not cool enough, “middle school for me was 20 years ago, what can I possibly speak into their life”. I’m not a 20-something, or I’m too busy (which really is saying in a round about way, their not worth me making the effort)

I want to challenge you by asking you, what if Jesus did this? What if God took this posture? The fact is, He didn’t… A student asked me the other day, “how much we’re called to love each other”, I responded to her by asking, “How far did Jesus go?” she paused for a second and looked up pretty shocked, and said, “All the way to the cross…”

Christ said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me…”

So may you be willing to lose site of yourself, your own desires, make the effort and reach out to the hurting, the broken, and the lost, go beyond yourselves loving others, and go so far as, “all the way to the cross…”