Reaching Our Children

Elder Marquis Boone
"Young people are tormented by loneliness, saturated by sex, fascinated with the dark side of the supernatural and prone to suicide. We cannot abandon them. We must reach them." - Ron Hutchcraft

So many things define this generation but the one that stands out is loneliness; which runs deep. They are home alone,; and are raised by their music, television, and video games. They will do anything to get a loving feeling, even if only for one night. A lot of what's going on sexually isn't about biology; it's about feeling close to someone for a few minutes.

With today's youth having so many labels placed on them such as "Generation X", "The Lost Generation", "Generation Me", "ghetto", "alley" and many more names; it has been said that the generations prior have dropped the ball and let our community down. Yes, the ball has been dropped, but it is not our duty to ponder on who dropped it; it is our duty to pick it back up and run with it.

I don't think that this generation is lost, but that the people who are trying to reach them are lost. I say this because many don't know how to minister to them. We must minister to our children on their level and love them until they change.

So how do we reach our children today? How do we as parents and church family take back our youth from the streets, destruction, youth pregnancy and disease, disrespectfulness, promiscuity, and from the hands of Satan himself? Here are a few things:

1. A sense of realness. Our children need to know that we too are real, struggle, and have been where they are.
2. Learn to listen. We have to listen so that we can find out where young people are today. Don't just speak to the head without addressing the heart.
3. Speak their language. Young people are interested to know if you can identify on their level and within their cultural framework, while not distorting God's truth.
4. Just be yourself. Don't think you have to be something you are not in order to reach youth. Let God's truth, love and grace come through the personality He has gifted you with.
5. Pray. Prayerful people are able to minister to youth with the power of God's hand upon them.
6. Speak life. Young people often think that life is pointless, has little meaning, and wonder why they are here. We can't approach them by saying words like you are worthless. We have to speak life.
7. Spend time. Children trust and open up when they have spent ample time with a person. When you spend no time with them you will not have the key to their heart. That's why many say to children "why didn't you tell me?" or "you know you can talk to me about anything", but they never open up because you never spend time with them.

These are just a few things for thought that may help us reach our children. Always remember:

"Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity". 1 Timothy 4:12 (NKJV)