From A Youth Pastor's Heart
What happened yesterday at Marshall County High School is heartbreaking and confusing all at once. I have been asked about what I think about it. So I’ll be honest with my answer. As much as this hurts me to say, I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often. Rates for incidents like this are sky-rocketing and as of January 23, 2018, what happened at MCHS would be the eleventh school shooting of the year. Twenty-three days with eleven school shootings is bigger than just a problem, it is an epidemic.
My first thought was “How did we get so far from loving one another that we’re killing one another at the age of fifteen?” But it didn’t take much thought for me to unfortunately see why kids resort to these actions.
Let me open this with a disclaimer. I do not know the person who did this. I don't know their family, their home life situation, or anything about them. This post isn't the clear cut and end all solution for this problem and may not have anything to do with why it happened. I don't know this young person's motive but I do know there are plenty of things that happen daily that could make a teenager believe they're justified in this action. The truth is that they aren't and nothing justifies this, but hate and sin don't mind lying to your mind. None of what you're about to read is meant to be turned against this individual or their family in any way in form of blame. This is just what I felt led towards sharing in the shadow of this tragedy.
Kids need to know that someone loves them. Kids need to be surrounded by people that care about them and accept them. Kids need to be in church. And I’m not talking about bringing them just on Sunday morning. I’m saying get your kid in church every time the doors are open. Why does that matter so much? I’ll tell you why.
Your kid needs to be in church every time they can be because the world isn’t going to love them, accept them, or do anything but try to destroy them.
Here’s the thing, being a teenager today is not the same as it was ten years ago, heck it’s not even the same as five years ago. I’m only twenty-six years old but Facebook and texting was the max of our social world once we went home from school. If we saw people after school they either lived near us or were in an after school activity with us. Today there are millions of apps, websites, and other portals that your kids are constantly in contact with others. They’re being talked to, talked about, judged, loved, hated, bullied, and daily have lies fed to them that the world persuades them are truths. We don’t get that though. We think our kids go through life just like we did but the truth is that things have changed. Unfortunately for your kids, that change isn’t for the better. Sure we have more technology and cooler stuff but the environment for a young person’s soul is much more dangerous than it once was. Going to church once a week isn’t going to cut it. How is two hours once a week going to compete with the 24/7 distraction that they face from the world?
After thinking about how much our teens are under fire from people their own age we should want to do nothing except for love and protect them, right? I think we all react that way in our mind but our actions or reactions don't always extend our true feelings in a way a teenager understands. Unfortunately we as adults are part of the problem too.
We as youth leaders, teachers, and parents need to realize they’re only kids.
The grade that you yelled at them for won’t keep them out of college. Let it go they'll do better next time.
The bad pass they made last Friday night doesn’t need to be brought up over and over again. It's just a game.
The attitude your kids have is not an indication they’re degenerates bound for life in prison. You don't need to put them on anti-depressants they could just be having a rough patch.
They’re only kids.
I’ll say that slower for people who don’t understand... THEY ARE ONLY KIDS.
Give them a break. They spend eight hours a day at school in an environment that doesn’t love them. They play sports and they find out that the game doesn’t love them. They join clubs that reveal how much the world won’t love them. On top of all of that they are constantly attached to a rectangular device that lights up every three minutes with a reminder that someone out there also doesn’t love them. To come home and feel like their parents or family doesn’t love them (even if you do love them) is their only hope being destroyed. I know you love your kids but they don’t always know that.
Which is why we need the church. It's why we need Jesus. So your teenagers know that regardless of what grade they get or what they dress like that someone died to prove He loves them. Jesus established the church to build a body that glorifies the Father by loving the brother. When we take our kids to church we give them one space that should be safe no matter what. That they should be accepted and encouraged. That they can turn their phone off and relax knowing they belong.
Love your teenagers.
Tell them every chance you get.
Hug them a little tighter today than you did yesterday.
Forgive them.
Ask them to forgive you.
Pray for them.
Teach them how to pray.
Love your teenagers.
Show them by taking them to church.
Let Jesus love your teenagers.
It is with heavy hearts that we pray for the families of the victims and also the first responders and teachers who are left to deal with the aftermath of a situation like this. May God draw them near to him and surround them with grace and direction. God is able if we will only trust him with our lives.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14
