Do You Love Teenagers?

-

Shrieks of laughter.  Endless hours of guitar playing and singing.  Aggressive games of Phase 10 and Skip-bo.  Challenging words.  "Not so healthy" food.  No sleep.

 That describes my weekend away at Teen Chill 2014.  Emily and another girl from our church went, along with teens from all around our district - 100 in all this weekend and there will be another group going next weekend.  Both myself and Emily were reunited with teens from our last church and that was wonderful!




 I loved every, single second of it and even survived the lack of sleep.  Teenagers are invigorating, challenging, energetic and encouraging.  Yet, not everyone sees them that way.

Many look at the exterior and make judgements about them based on their speech, their activities, and their behavior.  They view them as an annoyance or as troublemakers.  They avoid them at all costs.
 
Yet, if we would look past the behaviors, the words, and the attitudes many times we would find hurting people. 

► The girl who runs from inappropriate relationship to inappropriate relationship perhaps may be trying to fill a void left there by her parents.

► The teen with the "keep away" attitude, is holding others at arms length so he won't be hurt again.

► The loud, obnoxious teen?  Perhaps he is trying to get the attention he never had.

► The clingy, needy teen?  Looking for someone to love her as she is.

► The uninterested looking teen?  So self-conscious that they can't participate in anything without feeling intimidated.
Look past the behavior and love them.  Look past the attitude and love them.  Look past the crude words and love them.  Show these young adults how much God cares about them and the wonderful plan He has for them.

 
Am I tired?  Yes.  Did I have moments of wanting to get away somewhere quiet?  Yes!  Was I encouraged?  Yes!  Did I have God moments?   Absolutely!  How could I not with 100 teens, lifting their voices in worship?  And I'm sure that was a very sweet sound in God's ears!
 

 
I love teens.  How about you?

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2014 at 12:41 PM

    I just love kids….of all ages! They help to keep you young. So glad you enjoyed your weekend.

    coleen

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2014 at 4:45 PM

    As a former high school teacher, I always told my classes they kept me young!!!
    God bless, Kathy in Illinois

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriFebruary 10, 2014 at 6:18 PM

      The funny thing was I was dreading the weekend because of the hectic schedule and lack of sleep. But when I was with them, I honestly had so much energy and other than a few times, didn't feel weary. They really do make you feel energetic! :-)

      Delete
  3. Kim @ Him, Him MeFebruary 10, 2014 at 5:34 PM

    I love teens, they keep you on your toes!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love your comments and encouragement! I can't always respond back but do read each comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Oh What to Do; I'm Sixty-Two!

-
Image
Today is my sixty-second birthday and it's hard to believe I've achieved that....um....seasoned age! My first thought this morning was one of not being sure that I like it. However,  as I thought I about it, I decided to take joy in the fact that I've reached an older age. Because age comes with benefits. Benefit #1 - I'm a bit wiser.   When I look back at some of the decisions I made when I was younger, I cringe. With age has come the ability to slow down and think things through before I make major upheavals in my life. I've also discovered that getting worked up about certain things is just an absolute waste of emotional energy. Benefit #2 - I'm enjoying my life.   As I've aged I've learned all kinds of skills and hobbies and can honestly say that I'm never, ever bored. I love all the different things I'm able to do and it's fun! Benefit #3 - I've learned to appreciate my relationships. With age I've learned to work on developing a...
Read more

Eating to Live

-
Image
  Despite the unexpected busyness and interruptions, I have been plugging away at my weight loss as well as writing the plant-based, whole food cookbook. Recipe testing fell by the wayside the past two weeks, but I've still gotten a good chunk of the book done. I also got on the scale this morning for another one pound loss which makes a total of 61 lbs. since I started this journey back in July. It's second nature at this point and I have so much more energy and feel healthy. The only negative is that because I've lost so much weight I'm seeing some sagging, crepe-papery skin happening. Yuck. Some of that is age and I need to figure out some toning exercises. It's definitely a life-style change, but a positive one which I'm so thankful I started on. The pictures above are a small selection of meals I've eaten the past two months and many of those will be included in the book.  This will be a printable e-book as I find that will be the easiest and most cost ...
Read more

When the Unexpected Pops Up

-
Image
On Thursday afternoon, just as Dan and I were getting ready to leave for a meeting, we received a phone call from our son. He was sitting on the side of the road with a blown engine in his car. The problem is he lives 3 1/2 hours away. After back and forth phone calls he called a tow truck and got it towed to a garage. He ended up renting a car and headed here for the holiday. We've been working with him to figure out his next steps because he still owes thousands of dollars on the car which will also take a significant amount to replace the engine. His rent is going up in the new year. His seasonal job ended and he is trying to find something else, but needs a car for that to happen. His car still has not been looked at by the mechanic. It is all more than a little overwhelming. Long story short, we extended an invitation for him to live here temporarily so he can get out from under all of this. It would save him money on expensive rent and utilities.  The timing was right since h...
Read more