Do You Really Want to Change Your Life This Year?

I don’t make resolutions……I break them the very next day so I’ve just quit making them.  I do however, set goals for the year which may be the same thing, just packaged in a different way.  Regardless of what you do, most of us think of the new year as a new start.  It’s a great time to begin something new, or quit something we’ve been struggling with.

If you’re looking for a way to really change your life, let me encourage you to do one thing:  Invest in the life of a child.

I’m not even going to consider the ways this investment can change the life of the next generation, I just want to talk about you.  Honestly, we’re all a little selfish at heart, so let me tell you how this can benefit you.  But first a warning – if you’re not interested in changing your life, just stop reading now.

Here’s what’s in it for you:

You will learn more about the Bible than you ever knew.

And that’s true regardless of how much you know now.  I’ve seen gray-haired long-time deacons stumped by questions from a middle school boy.  I’ve seen seminary trained preachers have to really think about a question presented to them by a first grader.  If you’re looking to learn more about the Bible – investing in a child or teenager is the fastest way to learn!!

Your faith in humanity will be restored.

Social media has caused us to say things like that rather flippantly these days, but the truth is, many of us only see the negative side of younger generations.  We hear reports of their need for “safe spaces” or their protests when things don’t go the way they expected, and we write them off as the “soft generation” …… a group of kids who needs to quit whining and grow up a little.  But when you begin to invest in the members of that generation, you get a chance to see past the news reports and see into the heart of kids who are looking for their place in society ….. people who are looking for a way to impact the world around them.  And that glimpse into the heart of people will give you hope for the future in a way the news media never will.

Your own faith will grow like never before.

Understand first, that you’ll never really be prepared for any type of ministry service. You will never wake up and realize that you know everything needed to begin investing in the lives of people.  God doesn’t work that way!  He does, however, tend to grow us and provide for us along the way.  When you realize that you don’t know all the answers, it causes you to lean on the One who does.  When kids are asking tough questions, because they will, it causes you to move past the easy, “church” answers and really dive into what God says about the issues.  Quite frankly, there are few other things you can do that will grow your faith as quickly and as deeply as working with kids and students.  If you’re not willing to grow and learn – those kids will eat you alive!

Ministry to the next generation is not for the weak at heart.  It’s not for people who are satisfied with the status quo.  You’re not going to come in to a ministry environment and change lives – until your life is changed even more.

Is it an easy job?  No way!  Is it the most rewarding thing you’ll ever do?  Highly probable!  And I would recommend and encourage it to everyone!