From Aaron Burdin, Youth Pastor: Hillside Missionary Church

Helping Teens See A Bigger Purpose

As we work with teens, we will undoubtedly encounter many different situations ... trauma, eating disorders, cutting, suicide and many other crisis situations.

Recently there was an article in the South Bend Tribune about a 16 year old teen who accidently killed himself. What caused his death ...self strangulation. He thought it would be cool to play the “Choking Game”. He did not realize this would be the last game he would play. Once he passed out, the weight of his body kept the tie around his neck from loosening and he choked to death. When the teen’s friends, family and church were interviewed about the incident they all said it was an accident. There were no signs that the young man wanted to die. What they did know about him was that he always wanted to do extreme and dangerous things. It was quoted, “He wanted to live on the edge.”

Sadly, this is too often the same story for many of the teens we work with. Society, family, friends and even the church have failed to give them something worth really living for. It is only natural that when someone’s needs are not being met they will turn to other things. Some of these choices are very lethal. There is no excuse for a teen to turn to these activities if they feel their life has true meaning. Too often we give them little credit for what they can accomplish. They want something that is much bigger than themselves. The kingdom of God is about making an impact. If they are active in their community and taking part in changing people’s lives, there is a natural joy and purpose for them. Instead of asking why teens turn to such dangerous games maybe we need to be asking how we are giving them a much bigger purpose?

More recently I have been making community involvement in our youth ministry a priority. The last Wednesday night of the month we have been making this our community night. These nights are designed to give teens a sense of a much bigger purpose for their life and get them involved in people’s lives. A great way to incorporate this into your youth ministry is to check with your local community agencies. Ask them if you can do a worship service for the residents, game night or movie night. Help teens to see that the greatest experience they could ever have is to touch someone's life in a new way.