The Invisibles Part 2

"If we proclaim to love God, but refuse to unconditionally accept those He has made in his image, it destroys our influence in our friend's lives." -Andy Stanley


What our kids need to understand is that God has made them, on purpose. There is nothing about them that is an accident. And when we ignore people, it actually tells our friends that God really doesn't care about everyone. And when we tear ourselves down, it tells our friends that God made a mistake. Our kids find themselves trying to walk a fine line in how they view themselves... so to help them, we added to last week's phrase...


BOTTOM LINE:

EVERYONE MATTERS... EVERYONE IS IMPORTANT

Everyone matters. And when we read in 1 Corinthians 12:14-26, that everyone is important... EVERYONE. So for the next couple of weeks, you have the opportunity to do some affirmation. It's a chance to help your teen appreciate the abilities God has given both of you... and maybe a chance for you and them to learn about how your view yourselves. But as a spiritual leader for your teen, make sure you take the opportunity to help them focus on the Gospel and how God loves them beyond what they could ever imagine.

PARENT SYNC

This is your chance to "sync" with your child on a spiritual level. Discuss the following question(s) some time this next week:

What are some things you are good at?


What are some things you want to get better at?


What are you thankful to God for when it comes to what makes you important?

The Invisibles

There are those around us who seem invisible. In fact, many of us can think of moments in our lives where we felt invisible. Maybe it was at the school dance, or when we attended a youth group for the first time, or when there was that person that we liked and we didn't think they noticed us. People can feel invisible in the midst of a crowd... even when they are hanging out with friends. This week, many of our kids moved into a new class or role after being promoted a grade. Some moved into the Middle School class... some moved into High School... and some became the "influencers" who are now considered the "older" class. In the middle of all those changes, it's easy to feel invisible... which brings us to this week's BOTTOM LINE:

EVERYONE MATTERS

Everyone matters. We see this time and time again with Jesus. We looked at John 5 where a man who has been invisible for 38 years, get's noticed by Jesus. Jesus had a way with doing that. He seemed to notice those who were "invisible" to everyone else. So not only can we see that we matter to Jesus, even when we feel like we don't matter to anyone else... we can also see that, if we want to be like Jesus, we should be looking for those who are "invisible". 

PARENT SYNC

This is your chance to "sync" with your child on a spiritual level. Discuss the following question(s) some time this next week:

Share of a time when you felt like no one noticed you.


What does "Everyone matters" mean to you?