To Save a Life
I went to the premier of the movie “To Save a Life” last night, and while I’ll agree “Christian” movies really aren’t all that good – this one was different. Now don’t get me wrong, there have been some good “Christian” movies come out lately; “Facing the Giants”, “Fireproof”, and “Flywheel”. All of them good movies in general, but where those movies lacked - ”To Save a Life” picked up. All of those other movies were good yes, but none of them challenged me as a youth pastor.
In the movie “To Save a Life” a teen walks into a youth group as kind of a last chance effort to be accepted, and the youth pastor gets pulled away from him by another teen. That teen is one of the focal points to the movie as he commits suicide. Now that is NOT the reason that teenager committed suicide and you’ll have to see the movie to get the whole story, but I related to the youth pastor. He felt guilty because maybe, just maybe had he not gotten distracted he might have had a chance to show that teenager that someone loves him.
Now I’ve never had to deal with the death of a teenager as a youth pastor (I hope I never do) but I have seen teens leave my youth group feeling rejected or because I was just to “busy” to notice them and the next time I saw them they were pushing a baby stroller, or running with the wrong crowd, or isolated from everything and everyone. What kind of impact am I making as a youth pastor….what kind of impact are we making as children of God? We are called to be ambassadors for Christ…but yet we sit on the sidelines watching. This movie challenged me to get away from the “status-quo” of how I operate as a youth pastor, as a Christian, and as a human being
We have no idea what is going on in the minds and hearts of the lost – we will never know where they are hurting in their lives – we will never understand the battle that wages in their world – and you know what…we never will, unless we get off the sidelines. As true followers of Christ, can we honestly sit back (being comfortable) and watch the lost…watch their lives unfold before our eyes. If something were to happen to someone you know that DOESN’T know Christ, and you had the opportunity “To Save a Life”….could you live with that?
I have been content with doing what I have to as a youth pastor…I have been guilty of doing the bare minimum…I can’t do that anymore. I can’t bare the thought that a teenager might be in a place to where they think NO ONE cares whether they are alive, or that they don’t matter, or that they are not loved…and that I might have been able to do something about it – and didn’t because, well…..it wasn’t convenient.
I would encourage all to see this movie – I’m sure it has impacted others in a different way…I am just speaking through the eyes of how it has affected me as a youth pastor. One last question – if how we treat others could save a life, would you treat them differently?
Good post, Jim. So many teens hit a point in their teen life where they feel “no one” loves them, accepts them, understands them, knows them, sees them, wants them, etc. For many (I used to say most), it is “just a phase” because they have an unseen-by-them support structure (family, friends, football team, youth group, whatever) that lets them know in their heart that they are wrong and they eventually move past it. Unfortunately, for a growing number of youth, this is no longer the case and the “phase” begins to define them, and for too many, scar or even destroy them. I think this is largely due to the break down of the family in our culture. Regardless, it is totally an opportunity for Christian teens to seek out and lift up these outsiders, the unwanted, the uncool.
My challenge to you, as a youth pastor, is to make it as easy as possible for your teens. Do not burden them with the “responsibility” of telling the others about Jesus. That is scary as can be to most Christian teens. If you ask them to just “be nice” to those kids, become their friend – that will be scary enough. The goal will be to get them to come to church so you can tell your youth group, “You get them here. I’ll tell them about Jesus.” I know, I know, don’t we want our youth “standing up for Jesus”? Of course, but even the Bible admonished us to start with milk before we try meat. Our kids deserve the same support from their youth group. If you have an evangelist or two, the by all means, let ‘em loose, but most kids are not and they will struggle just to stand out on their own to reach out to the “unwanted”. They risk becoming “unwanted” themselves.