Note: Today’s Christian youth possess passion that might surprise you. Too often, though, they receive little opportunity to express their hearts’ desires. This column is the first of two that come to us from high school-aged students. Their messages focus on ministry to children; their motivation comes from zeal to serve God. Enjoy! (David Staal, Senior Editor)
Make a difference.
That’s what I want to do, and I’m going to ask you to help me.
Making a difference is probably not exactly what most people expect that high school students want to do. Seems like we have a different reputation; we supposedly only like to make a mess, make a joke, make our parents crazy or, at best, make some money to blow on apps or stuff from Aero.
But that’s just not true.
There’s something in us that wants to make a difference. That’s where my journey began. A journey that will include you, so keep reading.
I have always known that my parents believe in me, and I get a lot of confidence from that belief. How do I know this? They tell me. Over and over. I admit, after hearing something enough times, it’s easy to start believing what I hear. Yes everybody, especially kids, likes it when people believe in them. No matter if they show it or not.
My friends back me up on this idea. Mitchell says that when he knows someone believes in him, he feels more confident in anything he tries to do. It gives him hope and something to strive for—living into that belief. Andrew said that when he wins at something, like hitting two free throws with no time left on the clock (we’re still checking the facts on that story), he’s pretty excited to share the moment with people who have believed in him.
Hold on, this column is about to make a sudden turn. Keep reading; your part is coming up.
In marketing class, we received a challenging project; develop a plan to do marketing work for a real company or organization. I decided to talk to my dad who runs a non-profit organization. Hey, he believes in me, so I figured this might not be so tough after all.
But as I learned more about what my “client” does, I ran into a hard truth.
Many kids around the country don’t have anyone who personally believes in them. And this missing piece of life really messes them up. Actually, according to estimates my dad showed me, the number of kids is in the millions—just in the U.S. The more I understood this, the more it messed with my mind. What would it be like to not have anyone believe in me? Life would be miserable, no doubt.
Think about it; if you had no one who believed in you, would you believe in yourself? Why would you care about school, a future, or life? You wouldn’t give a rip about any achievement test you take; could that be why scores aren’t so hot these days? And you’d probably laugh at the idea of God loving you. Go to church? Not happening.
Can you see why this matters so much?
Better question: Why doesn’t anyone seem to care? Maybe because it’s a quiet issue and easy to ignore. It doesn’t take a pastor to figure out God cares about all those kids. Now I do, too.
That’s how a marketing class assignment turned into a personal cause. Keep reading; you’re about to be called on.
Let’s be real. I know that people believe in me because they take time to tell me. Doesn’t take money. Doesn’t take training. Doesn’t take much. Just someone who knows me. Think about this: one of the biggest challenges for millions of kids in our country is something that can be solved for free.
So what can I do? And what can you do?
I started thinking about what could happen to help reach these kids. Hey, they’re in every local elementary school. They’re in every neighborhood. Down the block, up the street, right over there. I imagined how many kids’ lives would change if someone, anyone, took the time to do something. But that won’t happen unless people care. And people won’t care if they don’t know that this is a giant problem. And how will they know unless someone tells them? (sounds familiar; check out Romans 10:14)
So my project is this: Draw attention to the issue of kids who grow up without someone who believes in them. To start, I’m telling you. Thanks for reading. And I’m also partnering with Kids Hope USA to put one of their new videos on YouTube so that people all across the world can see the work they’re trying to accomplish. Along the way, I’m hoping more people learn about what many kids need most; a relationship with someone who believes in them.
Here’s how you can help. Please watch the video and pass it on to everyone you know. My goal is fairly simple; let’s have one million viewers watch this video called “No Small Change” as a first step in showing they care about the millions of kids in the United States that don’t have someone who believes in them. One million viewers would mean a lot of people might begin to understand what you and I take for granted each and every day—that caring about someone matters.
It seems like if we want to change this world, we can start by doing real simple things. And a simple way to start changing the world is by watching this video and passing it (and this column) on to others.
Will this solve everything? No. But awareness is a starting place when you want to make a difference. Please join me in building awareness.
Millions of kids in our country are in need of something simple, so let’s draw attention to them. Building a relationship and believing in these kids are the tools to fix this problem. When it happens, lives change. Real kids with real lives.
And every time it happens, it’s no small change—to them. And to God. What about you?
Scott Staal, age 16, attends Grand Haven High School and Watermark Church, volunteers in the children’s ministry and on a youth team that reaches out to senior citizens, plays football and basketball, and participates in student government and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
