#694 – Young People

I generally don’t like young people when it comes to my nerdclinations.

Boxey was the worst part about the original Battlestar Galactica.

Wesley Crusher inspired so much anger/envy that I celebrated when he got demoted at Starfleet Academy.

He was in over his head, but Jake Lloyd definitely didn’t add a lot to Episode I.

Generally, when it comes to television shows and movies, I don’t like young people. They’re only there to add a level of saccharine sentimentality or to provide cheesy comic relief. Thankfully, though, my feelings couldn’t be any different in real life.

In my real life I love young people, which is good since I’m a youth pastor. Ever since I was 18 I have been hanging out with young people.

Junior high students.

High school students.

College students.

One of my favorite parts about youth ministry is getting to watch junior high students grow into young men and women with hearts for God. Whether they’re 12 or 21, they always bring a smile to my face and often make me laugh.

God wants us to invest in the lives of younger people. He told the nation of Israel to pass on the law and share what God had done in their lives with their children. Even if we don’t have kids of our own, we need to find a way to invest in the lives of younger people.

Work in a Bible classroom.

Pay for a kid to go to camp.

Take your niece or nephew out for ice cream.

There are so many ways that we can invest in the lives of young people, even if we don’t really like them. Thankfully, though, most young people aren’t as annoying as Boxey or Wesley Crusher.

How do you invest in young people?