When I was just a sophomore in High School my best friend ‘tricked’ me into going back to church. Tricked is a harsh word for something that quickly became my passion. I continued to go, volunteer, and love this church. They became my an extension of my family and some amazing friends. As I began to volunteer more and more, I soon found myself working with the middle school kids and that’s where this story really begins.
I currently volunteer, work with, teach, lead, and sometimes act like an adult with my church’s 5th-8th graders. I can honestly say this is one of the greatest i’ve done thus far in my life. It was my serendipity. These kids are my ‘hoodlums’. They act crazy on a consistent basis and never behave unless I tell them too. They run a muck in the room and I can tell have more energy than thousands of puppies combined. That all being said I wouldn’t skip a sunday morning unless I had to because I truly love them.
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They constantly are pushing me and my faith to new and incredible limits I didn’t think I had. They ask me more questions than any adult about my faith and invest as much in me as I do in them. Sometimes I struggle seeing this and so recently the youth pastor pulled me aside to tell me the girls said how much they loved my teaching and me, (I lead the girls small groups when we break up in class). They was reinforced by some parents telling me this and I can’t express into words how emotional that makes me.
It’s a very important task to teach our youth, and I don’t take it lightly. They need to know they are loved, their emotions are valid, and we as adults will never give up on them. This isn’t something you just teach them through faith, you teach them this with your actions. I don’t think that my job at church is strictly to teach these kids about God. I teach them how to respect each other as human beings and invest time. How to love one another and step back from chaotic situations. I teach them that they don’t need filters, likes, or social media to valid. It’s not all about God in that room, it’s about my actions and how I carry myself.
This extends into my life outside of church. I dress with one question in mind, “if my middle schoolers saw me, would I be embarressed?” It’s important they see me as the adult I am (depending on the day), and know that I’m always here as a mentor to guide them. Faith based or not, i’m a figure in their lives and plan to carry myself accordingly. But, it’s not just my job to live this way. It’s all of our jobs. The youth look up to us. They follow what we do (even if they swear they don’t) and think if it’s normal for us it’s normal for them.
So treat each other with respect. Love one another and be understanding. The more patient you are with rest of humanity, the more they will learn to be. It’s not easy, no one is perfect and tell them that. They are going to make mistakes daily, in every aspect. In school, with their friends, with their family, in their faith. We need to learn to forgive each other so they know they can forgive themselves.
With all of this in mind, I am so truly blessed by these past, present and future hoodlums.
