Today I was driving down the road and I saw a car with a young life sticker on the back window. And then a thought hit me like a sack of bricks. Young Life is bumper sticker worthy...Young Life is "trendy."
I mean who's to say that kid is not someone who has been changed by young life and loves Jesus? Who's to say that it's not a good thing? But I have to say, it disturbs me on some levels.
Don't get me wrong, I love Young Life. I mean, I am a young life leader. I guess I'm just trying to figure out what exactly that means still.
I think about the youth groupies...the kids that grew up in church. I was one of those too. Then I think about the partyers, the emos, the haters, the thugs, the wannabees, the populars or plastics, the nerds, the artsy kids, the jesus freaks, the athletes, the easies, the loners...the list goes on. Is Young Life a stereotype?
I've heard the whole spill about how young life leaders wear chacos, throw frisbees, play guitar, drive jeeps, and love the outdoors. But is this the reason stickers are made for cars? Is this why young life is commercialized in ways and sells their merch for ridiculously high prices? I hope not.
I hope that young life has a good name, a good legacy, a good reason. And I hope that reason is Jesus.
Dennis Fuller said it best when he said that Christianity is on a pendulum. The pendulum is swinging back and forth, with Jesus right smack in the middle. On one side there are orgs like Campus Outreach and the Navs. They're all about evangelizing and telling even complete strangers about Jesus. They have a sort of gung-ho, preach for Jesus kind of mission. Then on the opposite end of the pendulum are orgs like Young Life. Orgs that believe in earning the right to be heard, getting to know someone before bombarding them with Jesus. But sometimes Jesus may never even be mentioned. I remember Dennis saying he wished the two sides could meet in the middle more often than not. But both sides seem so adamant and stubborn on their side of the pendulum.
This is what I'm talking about. I don't want to be known as a Young Life leader if that means that kids will look at me and expect a trendy college kid trying to fit right in with the high school kids just so they will like me. I want to be a Young Life leader so that kids will see Jesus, on their turf, on their time, in His name.
I'm sick of the stereotypes. But regardless, I am one. I DO wear chacos and am learning to play guitar and throw frisbee and love the outdoors (but I don't drive a jeep). However, this IS NOT WHAT MAKES ME A YOUNG LIFE LEADER. And I refuse to fall in with that nonchalant, trendy, so cool, forget Jesus sway.
By all means, buy the young life stickers and put them on your cars...I have one on mine. I just hope behind that Young Life stamp the world sees Jesus...perhaps in a less evangelical, more real way...but Jesus, nevertheless.
