Everyone dreams of being a hero, but not everyone is aware that they pass up opportunities every day. The reason it’s easy to miss the opportunity is because it’s not really as glamorous as we imagine it to be. What it really looks like is ministry. If I’ve learned anything in my lifetime it’s that everyone needs to be ministered to at some point in their lives, it may be difficult to recognize when someone needs it, and children largely underestimate their ability to minister to their parents, pastors, and yes, even their teachers.
This was never made more clear to me than recently when I found myself feeling rather out of sorts but unable put my finger on what was wrong. I had made it a habit to practice what the late Mary Kay Ash teaches her sales force, “Whenever I meet someone, I try to imagine him or her wearing an invisible sign that says: MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT!” But it never occurred to me that by doing so, I might unwittingly communicate to my students that I’ve got it all together and don’t need them to minister to me. But even the strongest person you can imagine will experience struggles that they cannot wrestle with alone. I found myself on the other side of need due to the impending upheaval related to our relocation to South Korea. My students had been communicating to me that they appreciate what I do for them, but I found that I needed to be uplifted and reassured just the same. The revelation caused me simultaneous relief and unrest. ME? Need kids to comfort me? I began to fear that they actually might forget all about me once I was gone.
But none of them knew that I was in need and this was exacerbated by the 2 week Christmas break in which we never saw each other. I got to thinking about ways that we can recognize a person who is in need of our ministry. The first clue is that they may seem a little needy (read: annoying) or you may find that something they do really angers you. I remember encountering one of our church members in the fellowship hall kitchen one Sunday morning fuming as she stared at the sink in which sat a large pot that had obviously been used to pop popcorn. Since our church did double duty as a school during the week, I was pretty sure that one of the teachers had made popcorn but did not wash, dry, and put away the pot when she was done. Instead she left it soaking in the sink (and if the burned kernels of corn are any indication, it probably needed a good soak first.) This scenario was not greeted as an opportunity to serve a fellow worker for Christ, I quickly observed as the woman became more and more furious as she stared into the sink. It hit me that she just hadn’t seen that she was given an opportunity to serve: to take care of something for someone else. In other words, to be a hero! Maybe the first question you should ask yourself when faced with a fellow human’s irritating behavior is, “Is there anything I can do for them right now?” Just ask yourself what you would want or need if you were in the same position.
Finally, if you are young, never underestimate the power of your encouragement toward those in authority over you such as parents, coaches, pastors, and teachers. We know there’s a lot that you are learning from us and that you look to us to be examples for you to follow, but Paul’s instruction to Timothy is just as relevant for you today as it was for him, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young but be an example for the believers in speech, in love, in faith, and in purity” (1 Tim 4:12). That also means do not look down on yourselves or each other because you are young, nor underestimate your ability to encourage, uplift, teach, serve, give, and show up! Take my word for it; your authority figures live for those moments when they know something they’ve done has made a difference for you. When you tell us that we’ve made a difference, we can practically live on that encouragement alone for days—maybe even weeks! The ball is in your court. Don’t miss another opportunity to minister just because you are young. You have the power to help energize the ministry of someone else through your words and actions and most of all, your demonstration of appreciation.
