God
has grown Ground Zero incredibly in the past 5 years. Hundreds of students have come
through the doors over the past few years.
Some come for the video games; others to shoot pool and play air
hockey. Several students get off
work just in time to hear the message and stay for worship. It’s just incredible what God is
doing. Students’ lives are being
changed. And the one thing that
I’ve noticed, is that while there are hundreds of different situations, issues,
struggles and challenges that they all face and a hundred different reasons for
coming out to Ground Zero, it all comes back to a few root things.
Every teen, from the
straight ‘A’ perfectionist, to the punk bully, to the football jock, to the
cheerleader, to the shy kid who sits at the lunch table by himself every day;
they all desire three things:
unconditional love, acceptance and affirmation.
I had the benefit of two
loving parents who always assured me that no matter what I did, how I scored,
whether we won or lost, if I got straight A’s or F’s; that they would always
love me and they would always be proud of me. That knowledge gave me the
confidence to try new things. I
wasn’t afraid of failure because I knew it just meant that I got another chance
to try it again. Mom and Dad always
encouraged me.
Dad had an office in the
basement. Whenever I brought home a
paper or a project that I really liked or that I got a good grade on, I’d run
downstairs and Dad would hang it from the rafters in the ceiling, over his
desk. I always knew that my
parents loved me. I had a
safe secure place to go home to.
But that was years ago. Another youth worker recently said something very profound to me. “You and I were 13 once… but we were never the same age, the same 13 that teens are today.” He’s right. Teens today lose their innocence much younger thanks to what we find on prime time television, at the movie theater and in our schools. Teens face more pressures today than they ever had in years past. Today, more than ever before, we need to make a conscious, consistent effort to help teens in our circle of influence feel loved, accepted and affirmed.
How do we do that? Simple… get involved with their
lives. Go to games, go to
events, cheer them on and be their biggest fan! Tell your son or daughter that you are
proud of them and that you love them, but make sure they know it’s not because
of how they performed that day. If
love is conditional on performance, appearance or anything else, then it’s not
really love. Tell them you’re
proud of them at no time in particular; when they haven’t done anything special
and when they least expect it. And
once they know that you’re behind them, that they are loved and accepted
unconditionally, regardless of the circumstances, encourage them to extend that
love to someone else.
Ask them who they sit with
in the cafeteria at school.
Ask them what their friends are into, and don’t accept “stuff” for an
answer. “Well, are they into
skating, studying, sports, music, the band, the choir, the musical, what?” And then ask them about the kids
who sit by themselves in the cafeteria.
Teens have always been harsh
in school. That hasn’t
changed. If you don’t have the
right friends, or the right look, or the right clothes, you are ostracized,
outcast and looked down upon. Encourage your son or daughter to take one or two
of their friends and go sit at the table with the students who no-one else will
sit with, and take a genuine interest in the lives of people who no-one else
will talk to. You never know;
your son or daughter may just change the course of that person’s whole
life.
Three years ago, we started
something at Ground Zero called Project: RAKE. RAKE stands for Random Acts of Kindness
Everywhere. Primarily, this
is a free home repair ministry that gets teenagers involved in the lives of low
income families and senior citizens right here in our own community. Project: RAKE crews have built
wheelchair ramps, repaired leaky plumbing, painted rooms, repaired toilets and
replaced rotted flooring improving the living conditions of 64 families right
here in West Grove, Avondale, Kennett, Lincoln University, Oxford, Nottingham,
Atglen and Kirkwood. But it’s
more than just home repairs; RAKE is an attitude.
It’s going the extra
mile. It’s giving a friend a
ride. It’s getting outside yourself
and meeting the needs of others; whether that’s an elderly person or the outcast
at school. It’s about loving on
people and changing lives.
Have an impact in this
community. Make sure the
teenagers in your life feel loved, accepted and affirmed. Then go out of your way to extend
a Random Act of Kindness to someone who you don’t know. To quote
This week at Ground Zero,
we’ll be sharing more with students about how to find true love and acceptance
through God’s son, Jesus Christ.
Ground Zero meets Wednesday nights at Union Presbyterian off 472 in
Drew Cope is the Youth Director of the Ground Zero Youth Ministry. For directions or more information about Ground Zero, their programs or events, please call 610-869-7332 or visit www.GZYouth.com.