by Joyce Kang
Four years ago I made the decision to serve in our youth ministry not really knowing what to expect. After spending part of my summer ministering to the youth in the Czech Republic for summer missions, I desired to continue to cultivate discipleship relationships with ladies in this age group. I can hardly believe that several years have gone by since then, and as I look back at my time with the youth I can honestly say that this ministry has been one of the greatest sources of encouragement and joy during my time at Lighthouse.
Over the years I’ve come to realize that what I love most about working with the youth at our church is their incredible passion for life. Whether it’s playing games, going out for frozen yogurt, or simply chatting in the foyer, the youth are notoriously known for their excitement and high energy. One of the greatest privileges that I have as a staff member is to witness the Lord’s work in maturing these young men and women and teaching them to channel their energies in service to God and His people. It still encourages me every week to see a group of young people take seriously the preaching of God’s word and engage in meaningful discussions afterwards about how they can practically apply what they’ve learned.
Our youth understand that the wisdom of this world is vain and that true wisdom can be found in fearing God and studying His word. In the midst of their busy lives of endless studying, participating in extracurricular activities and hanging out with friends, it’s amazing to see our youth continue to make Christ a priority.
One of my favorite memories as youth staff is being able to witness my former and current youth girls take ownership of their faith and make active steps to follow Christ in the midst of various trials. Being a teenager in today’s society is no easy task, and yet I am always amazed by the boldness of our youth in actively sharing their faith and being a witness to their friends. In fact, their countless attempts to invite a friend out to Bible study or to share the Gospel with a classmate has often served as a gentle rebuke to my own pride and laziness in evangelism.
Unfortunately youthfulness is often associated with ignorance and can often stand in the way of being taken seriously, but as we look to Paul’s advice given to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, one should not be looked down upon because of their age. And believe it or not, there is still a lot that we can learn from those younger than us. So the next time you happen to bump into a youth member at church, I would encourage you to take a few minutes to get to know them. Chances are you will walk away from that conversation surprisingly encouraged and challenged to live and love like they do.