Why I Hang Out With Students: Part 2
About 3 weeks ago myself and my good friend Chandra took on an amazing opportunity to start a middle school girls group for west side students. It’s amazing to co-lead with someone who not only you know you can rely on, but learn from constantly. Unity in action is really awesome. So we had our first group night, and I was expecting maybe 4-6 girls on the first week…but we had 14 show up! It has been so awesome in the few short weeks starting this whole process over again of getting to know a new generation and a new group. Hearing what their interested in, what makes them laugh and what they actually desire to learn about. Seeing potential in future leaders, hear all of their amazing ideas they have to change the world (and having no doubt in their minds that they can) is one of my favorite things about working with students. I don’t mean just for the future either, this age group is changing the world with their ideas and actions right now. As I’ve gotten older I’ve started to lose or maybe just grow complacent about those grand plans I had when I was 13. So being around the excitement and hope is just contagious.
I love hanging out with students because it’s major accountability. Nothing will make your heart beat harder when a student, who has never really opened up to you, suddenly decides this is the night they have questions about The Bible, Jesus and what this word salvation means…and you aren’t prepared. Not that it’s not okay to say “I don’t know, but let’s find out together” on some questions, but just like it’s important to know about the things that kids are interested in to be relevant in their lives…it’s even more important to know how to help them understand and find answers about the questions of life, faith and Jesus when they vulnerable enough to ask. You might not get another opportunity.
All of this came up to me last night when we got to go roller-skating with our small group. Skating is apparently one of the popular things to do in middle school nowadays. We want to not only spend time studying The Bible and who Jesus is with our small group, but we also want to be a part of their lives. Part of that is hanging out with them where they are. It’s so easy for kids to shut on and off the programs they go to every week without even realizing it. But, if you become someone in their life who shows up not just on Wednesday nights or Sunday mornings or settings of “study time”…you have an opportunity to break down that barrier and allow them to realize that Jesus (the guy they hear about on Wednesday and Sunday’s) IS a part of their life everyday and everyplace. We had a GREAT time skating. I never really learned how to skate on traditional skates…and that was pretty relevant when I start pretty good and then realize I have no idea how to turn. Not only did a few of the girls stay right with me, they were cheering ME on and trying to teach me how to turn. Amazing.
