Light Switches and Closing Doors

I don't know if there is a technical term for it, but my daughter is in what I'll call the "light switch and door" phase. She will stand next to the light switch and say, "Up, Daddy." I pick her up, and she flips the light switch up and down, up and down, watching the light turn off and on, off and on. She loves to watch the room light up when she flips the switch. The door adventures work a little different. If a door is open, she loves to push or pull it shut. Once the door is shut, there is a level of frustration that sets in with her. She struggles to reach the knob and she hasn't figured out how to turn it to get it back open.

From a spiritual sense, the tween and teen years (5th-12th Grade) are very much a "light switch and door" phase. It is a time to see students' spiritual light bulb switch from religion to an authentic relationship with Christ. When the light turns on, it's exciting to see. These years also serve as a point where students are faced with opportunities, choices, and temptations that often result in them spiritually closing the door. It is a heartbreaking experience to see this happen, but it is also extremely exciting to watch as students work through the steps to figure out how to turn the door knob in order to open it back up.

What we're doing at NMC Student Ministries is seeking to create "light bulb" moments or opportunities to "open the door" in the lives of 5th-12th students.

• Wednesday Nights filled with biblical teaching, age appropriate worship, and opportunities for CHANGE.
• Sunday Morning Youth Classes where students can begin to GROW.
• Small Groups/ Workshops that help students CONNECT with each other and caring adults.
• An initiative where students are seeking to ENGAGE the issue of Kids In Need both at home and around the world.
• Continual challenge to students to be spiritual reproducers as they MULTIPLY!

It's worth the efforts. God is on the move in and through students! Thank you for allowing us to provide a space where the door can be opened and the light can be switched on!