10. An ability to occupy every seat in a coffeehouse—and also miraculously never drink one ounce of coffee. (The city of Louisville is currently under siege. No worries though slugger, teenagers are nice, they do provide a buzz about your little shop, and they even push in the chairs when no one is looking.)
9. Just go with it nicknames. I love how teenagers can take a moment—no matter how inconspicuous and turn it into an occasion for naming. Giving us and each other names that can never be shaken. (Some of my favorite nicknames: catfish, captain hook, coy sauce, B-lyn)
8. They are the champs of the “accidentally on purpose”. Enough said.
7. They are master marketers. Why else would companies spend most of their advertising dollars targeting this audience? They know how to get excited about things. They know how to tell other people about things. They understand the power of persuasion. Proof that they’re your greatest ministry resource.
6. Not much scares them. They boldly assimilate to new technology. They aren’t afraid of gas station bathrooms. They are willing to work an eight hour car wash in exchange for a $16.36 share.
5. They’re much like magic capsule toys when doused with water. Add a pinch of adolescent development and you could see them grow up to eight inches in a year! Astounding.
4. Teenagers have ideas that are beyond possibility. Paired with a few safety precautions and prayer, they can literally change the world as we know it.
3. With hearts bigger than Texas, they care for each other. With passions soaring beyond the oceans, they’ll argue until both of your eyes cross in surrender. With raw contextual emotion they’ll devastate each other with words…and be the first to seek forgiveness.
2. They are truth tellers. If you wear the same Christian t-shirt you got from Acquire the Fire in 1994 every Wednesday night you’ll hear about it. If you’re tracking and trending faster than they can say Tumblr they’ll ask you how you came to be so cool? If your talk stinks, they’ll tell you. If Jesus meets them right where they are, you’ll know. When they’re mad, you’ll see it written on their faces. They’ll wear excitement out with running, chasing, conquering, yelling, cheering, and smiling. And they’ll thank you later for making their day the best day ever…so far.
And the number one reason to like teenagers.
1. They are fun. They live in the moment. They engage and experience things with multiple senses. When people ask me why I like youth ministry, I tell them. When you find a job you love, you really never have to work a day in your life. I love teenagers. Thanks to them, I’m going on 13 years of being happily “unemployed”.
Do you have some teenagers in your life? What do you like most about them? How do their lives encourage yours?
