Development of the brain

Back to front, left to right.

I always wondered why in such a crazy time of life we are trying to talk to kids and give them all kinds of knowledge when their brains are hardly ready for something that intense. We as "fully developed" adults try to rationalize and quantify Jesus in a way that makes sense to us, but literally goes in one ear and out the other of the audience we are in front of...the youth.

What does make sense to me is how Middle and High School students, and their brains, are looking for memories. This is what their brains are learning at this point in life. Abstract thought comes later. Right now they are looking for experiences to hold on to. A lot of people talk about how the world is event driven, that you and adults alike want something worth coming out for. They want to know who is going to be there, what is going to happen and what they are going to get out of it. They are looking for a memory making time in their life. Mission Trips, National Youth Gatherings...these are things that youth sign up for because they know they are going to have a wonderful time and they will never forget it. And that is not a bad thing. But what about the rest of the time. What about the weekly, mundane, relationship building times? Those are important too because in the end they too will be memories. It's hard to see it that way when you are in the midst of it.

So maybe we shouldn't always look at events as a bad thing. Pizza and movie nights, lock-ins, random nights throughout the year, those are memory making times. They are positive times in their life. Imagine if you had a bank full of positive memories that outweighed any bad memory you had. That would be something.

We are in the business of sharing Jesus and the Gospel with youth, but we are also all about being a good influence for the kids. If all kids that leave Word of Peace know when they leave after High School is they are loved and that the adult leaders cared for them and Jesus is a part of some great memories then maybe we did a pretty good job of helping that brain grow in a very formational time of life.

-dain