Today's podcast episode was inspired by a scary and difficult situation my family faced back in December 2021. Two gun violence threats stemming from social media led to a school lock out and police being on site. Fortunately, Jesus protected our school and community and no shootings occurred.
This inspired a spur of the moment podcast that I recorded in the middle of the situation. But, the truth and reality is that we all will have times where we will be faced with choosing faith over fear.
I offer 5 steps for youth as they encounter fear and what it looks like to choose faith. And, fellow youth worker, you play a large role in the lives of young people and I appreciate you!
As Always,
Keep Showing Up & Keep Caring!
Deb
Today's podcast episode was inspired by a scary and difficult situation my family faced back in December 2021. Two gun violence threats stemming from social media led to a school lock out and police being on site. Fortunately, Jesus protected our school and community and no shootings occurred.
This inspired a spur of the moment podcast that I recorded in the middle of the situation. But, the truth and reality is that we all will have times where we will be faced with choosing faith over fear.
I offer 5 steps for youth as they encounter fear and what it looks like to choose faith. And, fellow youth worker, you play a large role in the lives of young people and I appreciate you!
As Always,
Keep Showing Up & Keep Caring!
Deb
Deb Schroeder 0:01
I realized that the time of the original recording, the situation I shared was still taking place. But I would be remiss in not providing an update. I am so incredibly thankful to be able to say that there was not a school shooting, and that my kids are safe. Now let's turn our attention to the podcast.
0:20
My heart is a bit heavy as I record this podcast today. This week, we dealt with some ramifications of social media and our school. What I learned the past several days is that there are times we will have to choose faith over fear. I want to explore what that looks like. So let's go ahead and get started.
0:40 INTRO AND MUSIC
Have you ever felt that we are losing young people to the world around them? And that they have already chosen to walk away from Jesus without even knowing him? And did you know that all young people are at risk for something? That's why I want to welcome you to the Jesus Is My Hashtag podcast, where positive youth development and youth ministry intersect. I'm your host, Deb Schroeder join me weekly for encouragement, resources and strategies to assist you in helping young people make Jesus their hashtag.
Deb Schroeder 1:20
As I record this podcast, it's December 17 2021. I am getting text messages about a social media threat on Tik Tok, where today was supposed to be a challenge to shoot up schools. The truth, when my youngest went to bed last night she was nervous about school today because of this, and rightfully so. You see, this is the second time this week my kids' high school has been threatened through social media.
Earlier this week, they went on what they call a lockout where no visitors were allowed in and no one was allowed out. Students were locked in their classrooms. Police arrived on scene, an investigation occurred and arrests were then made off site. Yes, I have praised Jesus that this situation didn't end in violence.
I want to be vulnerable with you here. I was scared on Tuesday when I learned my kids were locked in school and there weren't many details about what was happening other than that there was a lockout. What probably truly was really only 90 minutes felt like forever to me. There I was, helpless. I didn't know what was going to happen and didn't know if an actual shooting would occur at the school. And in those moments, I didn't know if my kids would be walking through my front door. So I did the only thing that I could do, I prayed.
Then last night to hear the fear in my daughter's voice was horrible. Again, I was helpless. I wanted to keep my kids home. In fact, I wanted to return to homeschooling them to keep them safe. In that moment, I turned again to God. We made a choice that our kids needed to go to school today, because we did not want to let fear keep them from living life. But I've had to choose faith every moment of today rather than fear.
I've seen posts in social media and have heard people say that Tuesday's incident was really not a credible threat. And I've heard the same thing today about this threat. But here's what I think is important to say. Fear doesn't wait to see if something is credible. It sneaks in and it takes hold.
There are many students of all ages who have chosen not to attend school today or had that decision made for them by their parents. The parking lot was noticeably emptier than usual when I dropped my daughter off today. And police officers were outside the building offering protection and hope. I am thankful that our school district is taking this seriously because I sure am.
And there are students who walked through their school doors today, but might be sitting there with more anxiety and worry than usual. My heart aches for our youth wherever they are today who are facing this in their schools. My heart hurts for teachers and staff who have chosen this profession and are helpless in knowing how to curb this increased risk of violence. And my heart also hurts for parents who have to make the decision about how to keep their children safe ahd are feeling a little bit more scared and worried. In the middle of all of this chaos this morning and week. I have prayed consistently for God's protection, peace, comfort in wisdom. I guess you could say that I have chosen faith over fear.
4:36
So what does that look like for a young person who is in the middle or at the start of figuring out what they believe in what faith looks like for them? Let's go ahead and look at that.
As you know in these tween and teen years our young people are in the process of developing the knowledge skills and attributes that will help them transition throughout adolescence and into adulthood. Included in that is a development of spirituality and self awareness. In other words, they are going to be figuring out what they believe about faith in how it connects to them.
When a young person is faced with fear, they have a choice to sit in that fear or push through it and move forward. Now that fear doesn't have to be a situation like I've described today, it might be something smaller, like answering a question in front of their class. It might be trying something new that they don't think that they can do. Honestly, it doesn't matter what the fear is, because any fear is valid, and can be powerful over someone.
5:39
Let's look at five steps in choosing faith over fear that I think make a difference when we are working with young people.
5:47
Number one, name the fear. First, a young person is going to need to be able to name their fear. They have to recognize whatever it is as a fear. As a caring adult, we help young people do this by engaging in conversations with them. We don't immediately jump to telling a young person what we think they are afraid of. No, we give them time to talk about how they are feeling and ask questions about what might be holding them back or getting in their way of moving forward. We give them space to name their own fear. Why do we do this? Well, when someone can name their fear or fears, it takes some of the power out of that fear, it opens up an opportunity to break down that fear and face it.
6:34
Number two, build a support network. Second, young people need to be able to build a support network around them. Whether a young person is ready to face a fear or not, they need to have a group of people, or at least one person that cares about them and is willing to be by their side is they explore fears. Pastors, ministry volunteers, teachers, coaches, parents, caring adults, and even peers can all be a part of their support network. The goal of these people is to speak truth and encouragement into a young person. As a youth worker, we can pinpoint skills and abilities we see in a young person that can help them face their fears. We can identify attitudes such as determination in a young person, that can also be key in moving past fear. When we can tie past experiences and observations that we have of a young person into their present moment, we are able to offer encouragement and hope. And sometimes being a part of a support network, we have to sit in the fear with a young person until they're ready to move forward or take action. Now, that's not easy, but it does show how much we truly care.
7:48
Number three, pray. Third, we want to encourage young people to turn to Jesus when they do face a fear. It doesn't have to be a lengthy prayer or even be eloquent. It can be as simple conversation that says what you're afraid of and just asking for help. In my experience, a lot of times I am the one suggesting that a young person could pray or even offering to lead a young person in prayer. You see, this may not be a natural inclination, especially if a young person is still figuring out what they believe. And sometimes a young person does choose not to pray. In those moments, I ask if I can pray over them. If they say no, I let them know that I'm going to be praying for them later on my own. I have never had a young person tell me not to pray for them. And I'm not really sure that I could honor that. Prayer is my weapon of choice when I am facing my own battles of fear and when I watch others face fears as well. When we can model what it looks like to pray to Jesus, we are helping young people to see what a relationship with Him looks like. And we are also modeling what it looks like to choose faith.
9:04
Number four, decide where to put trust. Fourth, when faced with fear, we want young people to decide where they put their trust. For many youth, they may choose to rely on themselves only. Some youth have been hurt and have come to the belief that they can really trust no one. As a caring adult, we have an opportunity to remind a young person that their support network cares about them, and that there are other caring adults who want to help as well. I remember when I taught a life skills class at the Job Corps Center in Manhattan, Kansas. There was one young girl who didn't like me at first. Sge didn't trust me and she didn't know me. She had her own guards up and was determined not to let me in. In fact, she was determined that she would figure everything out on our own. Slowly over the course of months, I spent time talking with her and getting to know her. The more I got to know her, the more she would share with me. And that was the start of her being willing to take a chance and trust me. When we work with young people who are facing a fear, we have to remember that we can't expect them to immediately trust us if we don't have a relationship. And the goal truly isn't to have a young person merely put their trust in us as caring adults. No, the goal is to help young people begin to understand what it looks like to also put their trust in Jesus. But a lot of times, it starts with them having a relationship with us.
10:37
What I've learned throughout my years of experience in working with young people, is that when I am working with a youth that struggles with trust, I know I have to share my own experiences where I have chosen faith and have chosen to trust God. I've talked about what it was like to know my brother was sitting on a ship and the Gulf War as basically a target and how I prayed and had to trust that God would keep him safe. I have talked about how I had to trust God when I moved multiple times with my husband, and had to basically start over at each place, building new friends and building a community around me. I have shared about my dad's battle with cancer and how I had to lean into God throughout that journey. I'm intentional in sharing about fears I have faced and how I have chosen God. Not each story I share has the ending that I desire. But I can be honest with young people that I still trust God, and I still turn to my faith in times of worry, fear and sadness.
11:37
Number five, do it all over again. Fifth, and finally, it is a rinse and repeat cycle so to speak. Young people need to be able to practice this over and over. Each time they face a fear, they're going to be in a position where they can choose faith over that fear. Sometimes, they may need to do it daily, other times hourly. And sometimes they may even need to choose it minute by minute. Honestly, at times, a young person may choose to rest in that fear and be frozen by it. Other times, they may take a step forward, and then take several steps back. And as you know, our job is to come alongside them as they walk through these tween and teen years. This is their process. We can role model pray with for and over them. We can encourage and speak truth to them. But at the end of the day, they still get to choose how they handle their own fear.
12:40
As I think about all that is happening nationwide in our schools with our young people, I could choose to sit in a place of fear myself. But instead, I am choosing to name the fear. Build a network of prayer warriors, pray to God consistently and place my trust in God. And I know I am going to have to do it all over again, day by day.
I have two challenges for you this week. First, join me in praying for our schools, our youth, our teachers, our staff, our parents, who all have to figure out how to navigate fear as it comes to safety in our schools. My second challenge for you this week is to think about a young person in your life who might be facing a fear of their own. Identify one thing you can do this week to engage and connect with that young person, and then go do it.
Before we wrap up today. I just want to say something to you. Remember, you matter to young people. Now more than ever, our youth need caring adults who are willing to be present in the ups and downs, and in the good and bad. They need caring adults who point them to Jesus time and time again. Otherwise, how are they truly get to know Him and love Him? And just in case I don't say it enough, or if you start to doubt yourself, your passion for serving and raising young people who love Jesus -- it really does matter.
14:09 EXIT AND MUSIC
Hey there fellow youth workers. Thanks for tuning in today. Remember what Matthew 937 tells us. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. In other words, keep showing up and keep caring
Transcribed by https://otter.ai