Stuck In The Middle With Youth

Kiki and I were talking about Youth tonight and it struck me that the Lord is really trying solidify a resolve in me to see a specific age group ministered to more. There's loads of ministry for young children, Christmas plays, pageants etc, and for older youth there's conferences, retreats, concerts etc. But what about those kids that are around 10-15. There's less for them to do. They're too old for pageants and Veggie Tales, but too young for concerts and retreats. They're kind of stuck in the middle and they're at that awkward scary age between child and teenager. They feel they don't fit in at Church, they probably feel like they don't fit in at school and yet this is the age that really messes kids up.

If you think about it, at this age kids have received enough damaging messages from their childhood that their hearts are wounded. The seeds the Enemy has planted in them at a young age are starting to sprout toxic roots deep into their hearts. They're confused, they're growing physically, emotionally and mentally and unfortunately, a lot of the time these feelings are brushed off as "hormones". I don't believe that for a second. Of course, hormones play a part. But I believe there's a bigger Enemy at work here. I believe that at this awkward stage in life, their emotions, beliefs and past experiences are twisted and used to manipulate them. Painful childhood memories, divorce, death, illness, war - all of these things are becoming understood, are becoming real. Things that these kids didn't understand when they were younger are now being remembered with startling clarity. I believe the Enemy has a 3 fold plan for the life of every child - it's a little rough right now so bear with me.

1) 0-9 "Seeds" - A childhood that is supposed to be happy and innocent many times is twisted into something perverted and tragic. Children at this age are suceptible to abuse, bullying and broken family dynamics. All of these things send a message to the heart of a child "This world isn't safe, you always need to protect yourself. You can't trust anyone". Seeds are planted and even though memories may be repressed or replaced with ones that are more idyllic, the battle for their hearts isn't over. It's far from over.

2) 10-15 "Roots" - Years of confusion and, a lot of the time, anger. The seeds planted years ago are starting to show their growth. Hormones are raging, feelings are out of control and the bad memories and experiences that may have been repressed can no longer be hidden. A lot of things resurface at this age and children can better understand what happened in their early years. Suddenly, memories of abuse resurface, the pain of divorce settles in, disappointment in God takes it's hold. They think "Someone was supposed to protect me, someone was supposed to make sure these things didn't happen to me. But they didn't". Children understand by this time that bad things DO happen to good people, and there isn't anything they can do to stop it. They can't protect themselves or their loved ones. They are vulnerable, yet they want to fight for good - they want their fairy tale. Little girls want to be the princess and little boys want to be the hero. But these dreams are twisted and used to convince kids at this vulnerable age that there isn't a fairy tale, it ISN'T going to be okay, and that the people they trusted have failed them - they didn't protect them and neither did God. They become anxious and confused children.

3) 16+ - "The Harvest" - This is where I get confused. Mainly because this is where I am today. I am in this category and I know what it's filled with. Anger, indignance, disappointment, apathy, resignation, guilt, fear. This is the age where youth understand their childhood, made significant decisions about their future and are now dealing with the poisonous roots left behind. Whether a decision was made for God or against Him is undeniably significant. We understand that what happened wasn't okay and we've decided how we're going to deal with it. Now we're left feeling angry that it happened, determined that it won't happen again and (many times) guilty for not knowing better or not being more prepared. I can't say much about this last one yet, all I know is that bad seeds and poisonous roots make for a bitter harvest when not mourned and dealt with.

So that's my thought for the night - that's how I feel. I know it sounds depressing and somewhat extreme and yes, I am aware that not all kids went through such experiences - but what child hasn't known pain and disappointment? The size of the seed doesn't matter - nature shows us that a tiny seed can grow into a massive tree, the Bible tells us that faith the size of a mustard see will move mountains, science tells us a microscopic seed is the start of human life. A tiny seed of anger, disappointment, guilt or whatever else can (and does) result in a massive amount of destruction.

I know what these kids are going though and I desperately want to help, I'm just trying to figure out where to start. Thanks for listening.
- Jen