“Therefore, let us go on toward perfection…” (Heb. 6:1).
It has been said, “You can’t go home again.” Others point out that we can’t live in the past and move forward at the same time. Both statements ar true. However, remembering is a powerful asset to faith.
Think about it. When we are teaching teenagers, we in large part are asking them to remember the past: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; stories from Scripture; their own personal histories and what they have learned; as well as some bits and pieces of congregational history and lore. All of these aspects of the faith can help to make our faith more alive and secure. The past is a type of anchor. The future proceeds from what we have learned.
It is, indeed, vital to remember what God has done. Helping our teenagers embrace their futures and live their faith is also remembering what God already has accomplished for them.
Teenagers especially know a great deal about using the past to build a future. Most teenagers are, after all, engaged in some type of activity that requires practice. A musical instrument involves practice. So does playing on a sports team. Academic teams have to practice certain bodies of knowledge. Likewise, faith is something that requires practice to live well. We can’t go on to perfection without laying a foundation of solid understanding, knowledge and living out faith in word and deed.
Youth leaders can help create deeper and richer faith in teenagers by helping them remember practice makes perfect. We all fail, but practice is the way we grow in faith. The next time your group gathers, don’t forget to throw in a little history as a way of making your teenagers’ faith come alive in the present.
