Have you ever heard of Young Life? It is an incredible, international Christian ministry for teens. In all honesty, as a volunteer Young Life leader and eventually part-time staffer, it probably ministered to me more than any of the teens I served. Here are some lessons from Young Life that help me be a better mom.
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What is Young Life?
Young Life (YL) is a ministry of staff and volunteers around the world that meet kids where they are in an effort to build relationships with teens and “win the right to be heard.” Staff and volunteers show up in the lunch room, at sports, plays, concerts, skate parks, coffee shops, and anywhere else teens may be in order to introduce them to Jesus.
Teens are also invited to club (crazy, fun meetings), campaigners (small group Bible studies), and camps where they have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and respond. Committed college and adult leaders spend time pursuing kids for Christ through living life with kids. Leaders join the kids on their turf but also ask kids to be a part of their lives.
Lessons from Young Life as a College Leader
Although I was in college by the time I heard of YL it has probably had more impact on my life than any other ministry I have ever been a part of. As a college leader in Salisbury, NC, I was surrounded by the most amazing YL Committee! The Committee is a group of local adults that serve the ministry through fundraising, leader care, and other support.
This group of adults became my family and taught me what walking with Jesus daily could look like. They loved me, fed me, supported me, and some of them even let me live with them right after college.
Through YL I built life-long friendships, understood a relationship with Jesus, and grew as a servant of Christ in many ways. This volunteer role over the four years of college equipped me to follow my calling into ministry as a career for many years and still impacts the way I serve and minister to my family.
Lessons from Young Life as a Young Adult
Even after college, I continued to serve as a leader with YL. When I began working for a church in the Pacific Northwest, I also started serving part-time on YL staff.
Through YL, I learned that worship and ministry were not just a part of my life, but all of my life should be worship and ministry. That meant going to the grocery store was no longer a secular errand, but an opportunity to serve others and to glorify the Lord. It was all a matter of perspective and intentionality.
Yet, the biggest impact that YL had on me in my 20’s was that it introduced me to my now husband of 10 years. We first met as he served on staff at a camp I had taken a group of high school girls to. We later ran into each other at a regional YL training.
Lessons from Young Life as a Mama
My husband and I are no longer serving with YL, though we still love the ministry. However, here are some of the lessons that I learned from Young Life, that I believe have helped me to be a better mom to my five girls.
1. Jesus in the everyday
As a Young Life Leader I invited kids to join me in my everyday life and I got to be a part of their day-to-day lives. Through these simple encounters I had the opportunity to model life with Jesus. At camps these teens had often had mountain-top experiences, but daily, we got to walk out an ordinary, yet, abundant life with Jesus.
This is our most powerful tool when it comes to teaching our own kids about Christ, too. Letting them see Jesus and our faith in the day-to-day. We must let our kids know that Jesus isn’t just for Sundays or church. Like I did with my campaigner girls, I can talk about Jesus while walking down the aisles of Target or over a Happy Meal at McDonald’s.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
2. Excellence, not perfection
If you have ever been to a Young Life camp, you will see that they strive for excellence. They want each teen that steps onto their properties to experience God’s extravagant love for them. God holds nothing back, not even His own Son.
As a perfectionist, I used to aim for an unachievable goal of perfection. Through serving with Young Life, I came to witness the power of aiming for excellence instead. YL staff would prepare and plan, but hold their plans with an open hand and a lot of grace.
I still fail at this quite often, but I have experienced the beauty of this plan. But, I strive for excellence over perfection when I am being intentional and in my best place.
3. Meet them where they are at
One of the most important parts of Young Life, after Jesus, is contact work. Contact work is showing up where kids are at, for example, their school, skate parks, coffee shops, sporting events, and concerts.
As a mama obviously, I live with my kids all the time. However, I can choose to sit and watch their show with them rather than do dishes. Or, I could play Kids Bop, instead of listening to my podcast while putting away groceries.
I can even choose to use a Bible they prefer than pushing them to listen to a writing style that isn’t intended for them. All of these are ways to meet them where they are. This is a representation of the incarnation, when Jesus chose to meet us where we are.
Even though we live in the same house, there are lots of daily opportunities for me to meet my girls where they are at, instead of expecting them to meet me in my comfort zone.
4. You can’t take them further than you are yourself
If I want my girls to learn to pray, they need to see me pray. If I want my girls to confess and ask forgiveness for mistakes, I need to model that.
I can’t expect my girls to pursue Christ in ways that I don’t myself. I need to walk the walk and show my girls the way through my actions, not just my words.
5. Value of Humor and Fun
Young Life does humor and fun SO WELL! Through Young Life, I learned to step out of the box and into a fluorescent tracksuit with a granny wig, simply to break down walls with high school students. I learned that cool wasn’t always helpful for building relationships. Laughter goes a lot further than trendy clothes.
As a college student, that was a huge lesson. But, as a mama, wow! What a reminder that I don’t always need to have it together to be a good mama. My relationship with my girls can grow exponentially through humor and fun. Laughter can often break through tough emotions and provide a shared experience that builds a bridge for a new way forward.
6. Importance of Community
This one lesson about community changed my life more and anything else in Young Life. Until I found YL, I never felt like I truly belonged anywhere. I have felt somewhat included in a few groups due to obligation on their part. I had also been on the outskirts of lots of groups. But I never really felt accepted just for who I was until YL in Salisbury.
Many of the different leadership teams I was on throughout my time all showed me what the church body is supposed to look like. They weren’t perfect by any means, but they were beautiful. I felt valued for who I was. I felt seen. There was accountability with love when necessary. There was SO MUCH ENCOURAGEMENT! Our gifts were recognized and utilized well. We didn’t serve in ways that were incongruent with our abilities, but we were stretched and challenged in healthy ways. Expectations were high, but so was the grace.
We were a diverse group, but there was fun, laughter, love, and growth because at the center of it was Jesus.
7. There is Nothing more important than your personal relationship with Jesus Christ
As a Young Life Leader and Staff, I learned the value of my own walk with Jesus for serving others. I cannot expect to point others towards a deep and intimate walk with Jesus when I don’t have that same thing. But, more importantly, we shouldn’t just practice our faith as a tool for serving others. At a training I remember, one of my Regional Directors said, “There is nothing more important than your personal relationship with Jesus.”
My girls deserve a mama that is in a healthy spiritual place because I will be a better mom with Jesus. But, that is a by-product! God wants a relationship with me, just to have a relationship with me. He is not merely equipping me to serve others or point them to Him. I can’t earn more of His love no matter how many of my girls walk with Him. The same Regional Director also would frequently say, “There is nothing you can do to make Jesus love you any more. And, there is nothing you can do to make Jesus love you any less.”
Although I don’t currently serve with YL, it will always hold an incredibly special place in my heart because it has impacted me for eternity. The lessons from Young Life will remain a part of my faith life for many years to come. It showed me what a personal relationship with Jesus is and how to invite others to have that same relationship.
I have no doubt that I would not be who I am without Young Life. The incredible people God has brought into my life and family through the ministry have impacted me in innumerable ways. In college, God used Young Life to draw me closer to him and point high schoolers to Christ. Now, 20 (eek!) years later He is still using my experiences from YL to draw me closer and point my girls to Christ.
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