The World’s Half-Truths for Teens Pt.6: The Power for Change Comes from Within

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When I first began working with youth, the first Percy Jackson series was all the rage.  Greek gods, adventure, and awkward teen drama had captured the imaginations of youth all over the country - and some at my church.

Being totally unfamiliar with the books, I was curious to read them to find out why these books had become so popular.  So I picked up the first book in the series and began to read.

It didn’t take long to figure out what kids found so alluring about Percy Jackson’s story.  As the story begins, Percy appears to be relatively insignificant, marginally outcast, and and uncomfortable-in-his-own-skin pubescent youth.

Before long, we discover that -despite appearances - Percy Jackson is anything but normal.  Much to Percy’s own astonishment, he’s really a demigod - the son of a human mother and a Greek god for a father.  And Percy doesn’t have just any Greek god for a father, his dad is Poseidon, one of the “big three” in the Greek Pantheon.

Along with the revelation of his lineage, Percy also discovers that as Poseidon’s son, he inherits some of Poseidon’s power.  Percy discovers he can breath under water.  Water gives him strength. And most importantly, Percy can control water, bending it to do his will.

How awesome would it be to discover that a god-king was your father and that your father-god shared his power with you...?

Yeah, pretty much that’s the gospel - isn’t it?  Pretty amazing.

In Christ, haven’t we become children of the One True God, king and ruler over all things? (cf. Galatians 3:29, 1 John 3:1-2)  And what’s more, because we are his children, hasn’t God shared his power with us, filling us with the Holy Spirit as a downpayment of our inheritance? (cf. Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 1:13-14)  Isn’t this the source of our joy and delight? (cf. Ephesians5:18-20, Colossians 3:15-17)

Familiarity with these truths sometime blinds us (and the youth) to their sheer awesomeness.  Sometimes it takes something like Percy Jackson to wake us up to the sheer wonder of the story in which we find ourselves.

Obviously there are some difference between Percy and the Christian.  First, and most importantly, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is fiction whereas our adoption and inheritance are reality.

Secondly, there is a fundamental difference between the power of Poseidon at work in Percy and the power of Yahweh at work in us: Percy seeks to control Poseidon’s power to wield the god’s strength for his own ends, while we seek to be controlled by the Spirit to be wielded by Yahweh for his ends.

It’s here that we begin to see the lie that underscores Percy Jackson’s interaction with the world.

In the end, any difference that Percy makes in the world or change that happens in himself emanates from his own willpower and ability to control the power of his father god, Poseidon.  Ultimately, and change is of his own doing (the gods are rather disinterested in the affairs of their children and the human world).

For the Christian, however, meaningful change cannot begin with our own efforts but with the grace of a God who cares deeply about us and this world. 

Biblically speaking, the power to redeem doesn’t come from us learning to control the Spirit of God, but the other way around.  The Holy Spirit is not a weapon or tool that we wield, but that wields us even as the Spirit works to renew us into the image of our creator, Jesus (Colossians 3:10).

Certainly we are called to participate in the Spirit’s work as we seek to put off the old self and put on the new self - but even this is done by faith as we learn to rest in Jesus’ finished work and receive from him the inheritance he secured for us in the Spirit as the Lord bless our time in Scripture, prayer, Christian fellowship, and the sacraments.

So concerning the world’s half-truth of the power to change coming from within, I say, Amen! Let us find the power for change within...but not within us as ourselves, but within us as children and temples of the One True God who is generous with his grace.  And let us cling to his grace by faith - not as a reward for our personal effort, but as a gift of the Spirit works within us to conform us to the very likeness of Jesus.

Mark Howard is the Youth Director and Assistant to Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, GA. Mark has a Masters in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School. 
 

Essentials in Youth Ministry: Others

We want to feel necessary.  We want to feel important.  An easy way to fill these desires as a youth worker is to make our youth ministries about us.  We even do what I just did -- call the youth group “ours” and come up with clever tricks to make the kids want to come be with us.

But it’s not really about us.  Youth ministry is about our Triune God - giving glory to the Father, in Christ, by the Spirit.  Certainly we’re actively involved in the work of God in these kids’ lives, but it’s God’s work through us - not ours in which to boast.  Ultimately, these kids are God’s. The glory is His.

What these kids really need, then, is not more of us, but more of Jesus and His grace.  Certainly they need to see more of Jesus in us and through us, but we are not the only - nor the primary - means through which the Father by the Spirit points the youth in our churches to Jesus. 

The primary means through which - by faith - the Spirit roots our youth in the grace of Jesus is Scripture, prayer, the sacraments, and fellowship with other Christians.

And the primary community through which God has ordained to practice these means is the church - the family of God.  And though we serve the church in a very unique capacity as youth ministers, we are not the fullness of the church in and of ourselves.

The youth need to see and experience God at work in others. They need to see and experience the wisdom of God through others. They need to see and experience the fellowship of God with others.

And “others” as I’m using it doesn’t refer only to other youth in the youth group.  They need to know their senior pastor(s). They need to know other parents. They need to know seniors and other adults in the congregation.

 

Though it has many flaws and downsides, one of the helpful correctives of postmodernism is that it reminds us that we all see things from a perspective.  This includes how we see God.  I am much too heady for my own good.  I need people in my life with passion and emotion in their worship and relationship with God.  They help me see aspects of God that I can’t on my own.

If the only picture of God that our youth see is from our preaching and teaching, then they are missing out.  Involving other adults in youth group -- or better yet, involving the youth in the fuller life of the church -- is one of the ways God uses by his Spirit to nurture our walk with him.

It might feel like a slap in the face to be told we’re not as important as we think we are, but really, this is good news.

We can’t do it all.  We can’t be all things to all people -- we aren’t meant to be.  There are kids with whom we have difficulty connecting.  But the same Spirit at work in and through us and our ministry is also at work in and through other Christians and the other ministries of the church.

If a kid doesn’t want to meet with us, maybe they will want to get together with someone else from the church.  If they don’t want to come to youth group, maybe they will want to join the choir or the praise team.  If they don’t want to come to Sunday school, maybe they will want to join an adult Bible study.

As Paul puts it in a beautiful passage on the unity of the one church in the one Spirit, “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16)

The family of God is an incredible blessing for those of us who can’t do it all (which is all of us).  Let’s not neglect the body of Christ in our ministries that we might together be built up in God’s love.

Mark Howard is the Youth Director and Assistant to Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, GA. Mark has a Masters in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School. 
 

We All Need Jesus: That’s Why Youth Group Isn’t A Replacement for Corporate Worship

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In one sense, what we do as youth ministers is unique in the world of church ministry.  Our job definitely includes some of the most fun - and perhaps, also, the most heartbreak.

But in another sense, our calling isn’t intrinsically different than that of any other minister.  We are all called to shepherd the flock...it’s just that our flock is going through puberty and will eventually leave the confines of our specified fold when they graduate from junior high or senior high.

And perhaps it’s stating the obvious, but whatever our age, what all sheep need most is to be pointed to their True Shepherd, Christ Jesus the Lord.  He is the one in whom we are filled, and he’s the one in whom the fullness of God is found (Col 2:9-10). 

Not surprisingly then, according to Paul’s plea in Colossians 2:6-7, all Christians are called to “walk in [Jesus], rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

The the assumption Paul makes in this verse is that all Christians are being taught to walk in Jesus.  The means by which we do this with the youth (as others have writtenmore extensively about, such as Brian Cosby) are nothing less than the means God gave all Christians: Scripture, true Christian fellowship, the sacraments, and prayer. 

By faith the Spirit uses these means to graciously expose our sin, confirm our dependence on Jesus, and to remind us of our hope in forgiveness, redemption, and new creation.

Youth group provides one context within which to employ the means of grace in a targeted way to the youth.  But the means of grace remain the practices that are to define our worship as the local church - both young and old, men and women together.  As such, corporate worship remains an essential part--perhaps even the most important part--of our discipleship with the youth.

The beauty of corporate worship in the local congregation is that it provides the opportunity to weave together all the means of grace into one full-bodied experience in all our local diversity.  In fellowship together we read, meditate on, and preach from Scripture; we pray together in thanksgiving, with confession, and for one another; and we celebrate the sacraments as members of God’s family.

To segregate our youth from corporate worship or somehow treat them as if they need something different than the rest of the congregation seems to deny the sufficiency of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the means He’s given to feed and protect his sheep. 

Moreover, it implies that the youth are not yet full members of the family of God and must wait until they are older to fully participate in the ministries of the church.  Yet the reality is that any who are in Christ--whatever the age--remain a full member in the family of God.

So may we, as youth ministers, continue to encourage, equip and enable our youth to fully join in the corporate worship of the local churches in which we serve.  After all, the reality is that what the youth need is what we all need: more of Jesus.

Mark Howard is the Youth Director and Assistant to Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, GA. Mark has a Masters in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School. 

The World's Half-Truths For Teens Pt.3: If it Comes Naturally, it's Okay

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For all of it’s silliness, there is one thing the ubiquitous Twilight saga does well - it offers a powerful challenge to a popular half-truth in the world today: if it comes naturally, it’s okay. Since most of our youth have some form of Twilight mania (either loving or hating the series), it can be useful in starting a discussion

For those of you who have miraculously avoided knowledge of the basic plot-line of the Twilight saga, the main character, Edward Cullen, and his family (a coven of vampires) are caught up in an existential identity crisis: should what they now are determine who they are and what they do?

You see, Edward and the Cullens all used to be fully human, doing human things, eating human foods, and living by the human moral code that murder is wrong.

Fate, however, changed them into vampires without their consent.  Through no fault of their own they now desire human blood, and need blood to live.  They’ve been transformed into killing machines.  Murder has become fundamental to what they are.

Moreover, blood makes them stronger, it brings them intense momentary satisfaction, and it feels supremely good to drink.

Enter the moral dilemma: does being a vampire make killing humans and drinking their blood okay?  Does the fact that it comes naturally and feels good make murder morally permissible?

Here is where - despite his annoying hair and brooding demeanor - Edward provides a useful example for youth seeking to follow Jesus and live by the gospel in today’s world. 

Edward and the Cullens say no to their vampire nature, concluding that however “natural” and pleasurable it is for them to drink blood as vampires, it still isn’t right.  And here’s the great part - they come to this conclusion based on who they “really” are, not what they currently are.

There are many parallels between the vampires’ plight and a biblical understanding of human nature (theological anthropology).

The biblical narrative tells us that what we are now isn’t who we should be.  Scripture makes clear that there is something profoundly unnatural about the fallen human condition.  Like vampires, our desires are out of whack with the way things should be.

We may not want to drink human blood, but we too want illicit pleasure (porn, cutting, revenge).  Human blood doesn’t make us stronger, but we (along with our youth) naturally apply our cunning to cheat, lie, and steal our way to greater power and comfort.

Just because something comes naturally doesn’t make it okay for the Christian.  Our moral code and behavior aren’t determined by the desires of our current state of being, but are based on who we really are in Jesus.

Scripture tells us that our identity isn’t in our flesh, but in Jesus who promises to one day redeem and make new our flesh (Colossians 3:1-4 and 1 John 3:1-3 make this point well).

And so, like the Cullens putting off their vampire nature, we are called in Scripture to put off the “old self” with it’s fallen ways and put on the “new self” which is being renewed in the image of Jesus.

Perhaps, though, while encouraging our youth to follow Edward’s example in fighting his “natural” desires, we should encourage them to avoid (as far as is possible) Edward’s propensity for angst-ridden teenage pseudo-romantic drama.  Just saying...

Mark Howard is the Youth Director and Assistant to Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, GA. Mark has a Masters in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School. 

Remembering What's Important: Part 3- The Patience of God

Admittedly, I’m not a very patient person.  As a young adult, I thought I had my irritability, anxiety, and restlessness under control...and then I got married and saw the real me.

But where my recognition of sin increased, God’s grace also increased.  And so after five years of marriage, I thought I had my impatience under control once again...but then we had our first child.  A couple years later, God called me to full-time ministry with youth.

Why can’t people just adjust to my schedule?  Why do they move so slowly? Why do I need to explain this to them again?  Why won’t that kid just realize he’s hurting himself and his family and change!?!

Ugh.  I am such a hypocrite in need of grace.

And yet through all this wrestling with my own peevishness, God has been letting me see something about his character that I often overlook.  God is incredibly patient--especially towards sinners like me.

One of scripture’s recurring refrains is that “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8), and though we regularly talk about God’s mercy, grace, and love...we often skip over God’s being slow to anger--his patience.  Why?

In my own life, I’ve come to see that I tend to downplay God’s patience when I fail to take seriously the magnitude of my sin and what my sin deserves.  If I’m “basically good”, what’s there for God to be angry about?  Why does he need patience?

I think that many of our youth feel similarly much of the time.  Thus, when we see God’s anger in Scripture towards sin, we can sometimes think that God’s being rather mean, missing his patience altogether.

We see God kicking Adam and Eve out of Eden and think him rude, rather than marvel at the merciful patience of God for not obliterating Adam and Eve in the moment of their sinful rebellion. 

When God brings destruction upon this or that people group in the Old Testament, we think God’s being harsh and petty rather than marvel at the fact that God has patiently provided air, food, water, and so forth for a people that have been stubbornly bent upon rejecting him.

How quickly we forget the seriousness of our sin and the wrath it deserves!  ...That is, until we personally experience the true ugliness of sin. When someone deeply hurts us or goes on a shooting spree in a theater, all the sudden we want a wrathful God.  How can God put up with such a person, we ask, why doesn’t he just do away with them once and for all?

We scoff at God because of his patience with sinners.  Sometimes we scoff at him for being too harsh, other times it’s for being too soft.

But thankfully, God is patient with us in our scoffing, too.

In fact, God actually tells us through the apostle Peter “that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing” (2 Peter 3:3).  Peter continues in his second letter,

They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  (2 Peter 3:4-9)

The ultimate final judgment sin deserves is coming.  One day God finally will do away with all evil and suffering.  But God doesn’t value time the same way we do, and his love is patient enough to wait for the repentance of his people.

Just think of that kid for which your heart aches to know the redeeming and saving love of Jesus.  God is willing to endure their sin, our sin, and the present evil in this world to see s, inners like that kid reach repentance.

And if God is patient enough to endure the messiness of sinners like the youth we work with, can’t we trust in him to give us patience to walk with them amidst the mess, trusting that God will redeem and use for good even the struggles we are asked to endure (cf. Romans 8:28)?

But we should not be so careless as to think that God’s patience will last forever.  Eventually, Jesus will return to make all things right--which includes the judgment of all who fail to take refuge in his patient love.  The apostle Peter goes on to write, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10).

There is an urgency to what we are called to do as ministers to youth.  The patience of God directs us to trust in God’s timing to working repentance and sanctification in our youth’s lives, but it doesn’t give us an excuse for timidity in calling these kids to repentance and faith in Jesus as Lord.

And when we fail in patience and boldness--as we all do--we too can repent and along with Peter “count the patience of our Lord as salvation” (2 Peter 3:15). God’s patient love in Christ by his Spirit surrounds us, upholds us, and will ultimately sanctify us completely when Jesus returns.

As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)  Jesus’s patient work in our life is our hope for salvation--for us and for our youth.  May we grow in the fruit of God’s patience.


Mark Howard is the Youth Director and Assistant to Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, GA. Mark has a Masters in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School. 

Youth Need the Church, and the Church Needs Youth

Rooted is excited to continue our partnership with The Gospel Coalition blog for a series on the state of youth ministry during the month of April.  Thanks to Collin Hansen of TGC for permission in reprinting below (originally posted here).  Check out the other articles in this series here, here, here, here, and here.

The current generation of youth is an interesting one.

As I've worked with and studied about youth today, it seems safe to say that they are not members of the Enlightenment, nor do they hold the modern notion that Reason can lead us to all Truth that is just beyond the horizon of our current knowledge.

And yet what do they as a generation believe?

Though they are postmodern chronologically, I believe it would also be wrong to say that they are postmodern. Unlike postmoderns, they are desperate for a grand story to make sense of the world around them. They want meaning. They are desperate for a true hope.

But hope is an elusive target in the world. Many of their parents have put their hope in the economy, politics, and the military strength of America. Their children, however, see a failing economy, political unrest, and an ongoing terrorist threat. The future doesn't seem that rosy. So what's left for them to hope in if they don't have the future? The moment. And happiness is king of the moment.

Youth pursue happiness, but the means given by the world---shopping, entertainment, sex, social media---undermine the very endeavor. Pleasure is fleeting. Relations, often only surface deep, get messy quickly. Entertainment can't provide lasting satisfaction. In the end, happiness in the world is little more than momentary escape from the realities of the world.

Desperately Searching

Given the circumstances, it's no surprise that many youth are restless, insecure, jaded, and desperately searching for meaning to explain all the hurt and suffering they see around them, meaning for their very existence. Sadly, many within the church offer nothing more substantive than the vaporous teachings of the world. In some churches, "youth group" has become synonymous with over-the-top games, entertainment, and shallow teaching. They are told, yes, life here on earth is a mess, but don't worry, one day you'll die and go to heaven. There things will be right. In the meantime, want to see how many marshmallows I can stick in my mouth?

Do we really believe the faith of our youth is so pointless that the best God has for them now is a temporary escape from the world on Wednesday night and Sunday morning? This sort of ministry just reinforces a belief in the meaninglessness of this life.

Where are meaning and hope found? In Jesus.

I am firmly convinced that what today's youth need most is the gospel of Christ Jesus the Lord. He is the one in whom the fullness of God is found, and he's the one in whom we are filled (Col 2:9-10). Moreover, he is the one who gives meaning to this life.

He didn't come to escape the world but to redeem it. When you read the Gospels, you see the way in which Jesus and his kingdom brought redemption to this world by overcoming physical evil (emotional and physical sickness), metaphysical evil (Satan and the demons), and moral evil (sin).

And the amazing message of the gospel is that we are transferred into Jesus' kingdom of redemption and the forgiveness of sin (Col 1:13-14), a kingdom we pray comes "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt 6:10). It's a kingdom of meaning for today that heals the broken and strengthens the tempted as they live in the world (but are not of the world).

This is why, then, Paul pleas for the early Christians in Colossae to "walk in [Jesus], rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving" (Col 2:7).

But the assumption Paul makes is that all Christians---including young ones---have been taught this kingdom-bringing Jesus,the Messiah as presented in the Old and New Testaments. This is the Jesus in whom youth today can truly root their faith and be fed, grown, and established.

His People, the Church

Where is Jesus found? In the worship of his people, the church. As others have said, the way we come to know Jesus is through the means he gave us: Scripture, true Christian fellowship, the sacraments, and prayer. These are the practices that by faith renew their minds in such a way that enables youth to view and live in the world with purpose and meaning as followers of Jesus. These are the practices that by faith force youth from their technologically imposed isolation, discourage their entitlement, and lead them to a spirit of humility and repentance. These are the practices that by faith expose their dependence on Jesus and remind them of their need for grace.

And these are the practices that are to define our worship as the church. Certainly, some of these practices can take place in youth-only venues, but at its heart, these are full-body practices of the corporate church: young and old worshiping together.

I love youth ministry, I really do. But the thing is, we have to be sure that we don't segregate the youth for our sake and theirs. They are part of the body of Christ too, and no part of the body can remain healthy if one of its members is cut off and put to the side. If we segregate the youth, not only do we lose all they have to teach us, but we also inadvertently teach them that the church is really only for adults---those who are married and have families of their own. And then we wonder why they don't get involved in church as college students or young singles, when in reality, we've been telling them all along that the church isn't yet for them.

My prayer is that as we minister to a generation starving for meaning, we won't lose sight of the reality that what these youth need is Jesus, and that he is most fully offered within the community of the church, of which they are a vital part.

Mark Howard is the Youth Director and Assistant to Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, GA. Mark has a Masters in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School. 

Youth Ministry Is More Than a Feeling

Check out the 2012 Rooted Conference - "Adoption: The Beauty of Grace" - which will explore how the theological concept of Adoption speaks to this generation of teenagers.

Adoption: God as the Available Parent

We are excited about the theme for the 2012 Rooted Conference - “Adoption: The Beauty of Grace” - which will explore how the theological concept of adoption speaks to the present youth generation.


By God’s grace I have a clean record as far as the law is concerned.  Now, since this is a theology blog, you may be thinking of ‘law’ as the apostle Paul uses the term...but I’m just talking about the regular American legal system use of the term ‘law’....But what would happen if I saw President Obama and ran up to him to give him a hug, tell him about my day, and ask him for some personal help with a problem I’m having?

As the youth I work with responded when I asked them this question, I would be “neutralized”.
But why?  I’m an American Citizen in full standing.  I’ve never even been accused - let alone convicted - of any crime.  Why can’t I boldly approach the President in such a manner?
Sometimes we think that our justification gives us full access to God.  Jesus removes all of our sin and clothes us with his righteousness so that we can stand before God with full confidence.  And AMEN - certainly this is true!  We can stand before God with full assurance that his wrath won’t smite us - that’s the teaching of Hebrews 10:22.
...But God is God.  He’s King of Kings, Lord of Lords...and President of Presidents.  If my righteousness according to American law doesn’t give me full access to the President of the United States, how is it that I have full access to draw near to the President of Presidents?
The answer isn’t in our justification, but in our adoption.  You see, there are two people who have unfettered access to President Obama: his two daughters.  Nobody’s going to stop them from hugging him, talking with him, or seeking out personal help - because they are family.
The real good news of the gospel is that God doesn’t just want our righteousness.  He wants us.  He doesn’t just want the youth we work with to be “good”.  He wants them.  
For a generation struggling with issues of abandonment, isolation, and insecurity, this is good news.
“[W]hen the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Gal 4:4-6)
Justification makes way for our adoption into the household of God, and our adoption gives us hope.
We need to remember and teach to our youth the grace given to us in our adoption.  For the more we understand God as Abba, the more we can understand the freedom we have as loved children to draw near to God Almighty - and we need to draw near, for only in him is the fullness, abundant life, and security we all crave.
And the more we draw near to Abba God in prayer, through Scripture, in the sacraments, and in the fellowship of the saints, the more we will learn to rest in and receive from his powerful and redeeming love.  
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1)

Mark Howard is the Youth Director and Assistant to Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, GA. Mark has a Masters in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School. 

Adoption: God as the Empathetic Parent

We are excited about the theme for the 2012 Rooted Conference - “Adoption: The Beauty of Grace” - which will explore how the theological concept of adoption speaks to the present youth generation.

A while back, my wife and I attended a parenting conference hosted by the La Leche League of Georgia.  As expected, I found the teaching and discussions to be rather thought-provoking and practical as a parent.  I did not, however, expect to find my faith built up and encouraged the way it was over the course of the two days.

All throughout the lectures and seminars, I kept seeing parallels between what was being taught about parenting and scripture’s teaching about God as our adoptive Father.  One quote in particular from the keynote touched my heart with its beauty.

In one of her handouts, Sharifa Oppenheimer (author of the best-selling book Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children) wrote the following:

“The single best gift a parent can give their children is to be attuned to them, to know what it feels like inside their skin, and to respond interactively from this ‘knowing.’  The only way a child can learn to know who they are is by having been ‘known’ in this way by a parent.  The only way a child can ‘see themselves’ is by looking into the mirror of the parents’ heart, and see themselves reflected back.”

This is a beautiful picture of a parent’s empathy for their child - but what struck me as truly awe-inspiring was when I saw the quote from the perspective of my adoption into the household of God (Ephesians 2:19) and the incarnation of God in Jesus.

What a gift that our God went to such great lengths to ‘feel inside our skin’!  As the author of Hebrews proclaims, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

God became fully human only to be fully rejected by humanity, so that he might identify with us in our struggles, offer himself as a sacrifice to redeem humanity and give us the high privilege of becoming children of God.  Such a notion is too great to comprehend!  



What’s more is that because God so identified with us in Jesus - counting his righteousness as our own -  we no longer know ourselves by looking in the bathroom mirror; rather, it is only by gazing into Christ, where we most fully see the Father’s heart, that we can rightly see our true selves reflected back.  Redeemed.  Holy.  Pure.  Made new.  Perfect.  Loved.

In a ministry environment where many youth harbor harmful self-identities shaped by a culture saturated with false perceptions of the ‘self’, there are few messages more timely than our adoption by the Father, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit.

As we minister to today’s youth in whatever format, our call, as Paul magnificently declares in Colossians 3:2-4, is to encourage them to “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

For in Christ, we have become God’s beloved children...and he knows and cares what we are going through.

Mark Howard is the Youth Director and Assistant to Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, GA. Mark has a Masters in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School.