Time Spent this Week: 7.5 hrs
2 hrs: youth group
2 hrs: open gym ministry
1 hr: Sunday school
1.5 hrs: Worship service
My Class this Week:
Mike returned from his weeklong vacation for spring break this week. He began the class period by reviewing the entire book of James. He had the class make a list of the main topics that had been discussed throughout the book.
- Warnings, Wisdom, Faith and Actions, Taming the Tongue, Patience and Enduring, Temptation, Power of Prayer, Prejudice, Perseverance, Submission, Suffering, Jesus, James, and Sin were the responses.
Mike then asked the class to give a summary statement of the book of James using the subjects that had been expressed in the previous list of main topics.
- The book of James gives wisdom and warning of temptation.
- The book of James reached perseverance through temptation and warnings of sin.
SUFFERING:
Mike tried to sum up the book of James with a review of suffering. He told the class that his teaching style is one of questions and his goal as a teacher is to get the class to think. But he went on to tell them that this week he intended to provide them with some important information. He began telling the class about the misconception that life gets easier when a person decides to become a Christian. He mentioned a book called “The Road less Traveled” by Scott Peck which opens with the statement, “Life is difficult.”
Life doesn’t get easier as a Christian. Then he asked some questions.
“In what ways have you thought that if you get through this problem/struggle, then life would be better?”
- school, Chemistry, homework, sickness
“Is life easy afterwards?”
- not necessarily…new problems arise
- Taylor: optimistic thinking is what gets us through certain struggles
PERSEVERANCE & PATIENCE:
“How do perseverance and patience set an example for others?”
- Non-Christians wonder what we have and they want it.
- Christians realize that if we can get through it, so can they.
RIVER ANALOGY:
Mike ended the lesson with an analogy of a RIVER. He drew the river on the whiteboard and had it represent struggles/suffering we endure in life. He said that no matter how hard we try to avoid these problems in our lives, we will not be able to go around it. We have to go through it.
Questions:
1. What is the effect of telling teenagers that they will suffer in the future? They are going through so much already, it seems quite depressing to let them know that life isn’t going to get any easier…in fact, it will get more difficult.
2. How do you think youth will feel when they realize when they finally manage to cross their current river of suffering, there will only be another, wider river with swifter rapids to cross on the other side? I know it is part of reality, but is this what they need to hear? I would much rather encourage them with something like: “regardless of what may come your way, God WILL provide you with the strength to stand up to temptation and discover His way of escape into holy living. Is that just me?
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Re: Letting Teens know it’ll get worse… I think that it might not have been a good idea to let regular teens know that, but everyone in the class is more devoted than most who go to youth group. I believe that it is better to make them realize that this life isn’t going to get any easier, and that they need God in their corner to get them through the tough times. Mike just needed to throw in that they will suffer in the future, but God is always there to bring you through.
ReplyDeleteRe: Wider River… That is a tough deal, but it is true. It’s like God doesn’t want you to get complacent, and if there is always an obstacle in your face, you will never begin to get content in who you are and what you’ve done. It’s part of the journey towards maturity. Encouragement is necessary, but love is far more necessary. I would rather have someone I respect tell me it’s going to absolutely stink, than someone just say you can do it. I would feel like they don’t really care, like they are just standing back expecting it to get done, whereas letting me know that It’ll be hard is reinforcing my own thinking, and when it’s done in love I feel that someone is behind me, supporting me when it is hard, because they already know that it is hard. If that makes sense…
RE: Suffering...I think it's okay to let teens know that they will face suffering and sorrow, despite their level of comittment in the group. Developmentally, they can't handle a perspective right outside of their own, but they are starting to get away from that mindset. You should tell them the truth, but dont be cynical about it.
ReplyDeleteRE: River...When they are going through suffering, Piling it on doesn't seem like a helpful thing no matter who you are. The best thing to do is pray first, then love them while they go through their current situation.