I am a minister to middle school students. They are funny and weird. They cannot stop talking. They laugh a lot. They like to hang out and play dodge ball. They are fond of loud, off-key sing-a-longs. They love attention but not the bad kind. They want to stand out but not stick out. They want to belong to a group and to know who they are.
Recently, I have found myself lamenting over the lack of deep, meaningful relationships with my middle school students. You know, the kind where they will share with me their struggles, where I can help them in solving their problems, and where I can steer them away from the mistakes I made. Or, just the kind where they will listen to me for two straight seconds. But, I have had to realize that middle school students are not so sure about adults. They have just broken ties with mom and dad, and they are out seeking their own independence. Why in the world would they look for another adult to boss them around?
Though they may not think to come to ministers and other adults in their church as their middle school survival guide, they do know that we are here. They know that we are trying to find new and different ways to engage with them. They know that we are concerned about them. And, they know that we will listen. And, every once in a while, they let us into their world. Sometimes it is as simple as putting an arm around our shoulders or yelling an enthusiastic "hey" to us as they blaze past us.
They may not really understand how much we care for them until they are well past our particular niche in age group ministry. But, they will.
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