Labels

I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that labels are pretty prevalent in our culture. Everyone knows what the Nike Swoosh looks like, and we know that we can get a burger and French fries when we're driving down the road and we see the Golden Arches. Labels are often placed on something for the sake of recognition; the problem is when we put the labels not on something, but on SOMEONE.

This week I had the opportunity to host our 6th and 7th grade retreats. After lots of prayer and consultation from the teachers, I came up with themes of identity and coming to an understanding of who we truly are in the eyes of God. My hope was that they would be able to disregard the labels modern culture tries to put on them and realize who they are in Christ.

At one moment during the retreat, I asked the kids to tell me what kinds of labels they would put on me. Here were some of their responses:

"You seem really loud."

"Extroverted!"

"You're really friendly."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but...small." (LOLOLOL!!!)

"Catholic...because you do the youth group stuff and I see you at Church."

*I'll just pause for a moment here so that my regular readers can catch their breath as they die of laughter at how inaccurate some of these are.*

The point isn't so much that the labels are inaccurate but that we choose to accept them, whether we place them on others or we allow them to be placed on us. We make the judgment that "that's just how it is, and it can't be changed." When we make the assumption that something cannot be changed, we also make the assumption that hope has no place in this world - which is far from the truth, especially for those who place their hope and trust in Jesus.

There are moments in these retreats that I look back on and laugh, but inevitably there are also moments that make me realize that we are failing our kids. There were moments where vulnerabilities were laid out, and there were moments that surprised me because I realized that these kids are so much better and stronger than I thought. And most importantly, I realized they are hungrier for the Truth than we let ourselves believe. They asked questions and engaged in conversations that prove the textbook is insufficient and enter the realm of a deeper curiosity that I rarely see, even in adults. I have said many, many times that middle school ministry is my sweet spot. I love these kids, and it hurts me to the core when I hear people make the assumption that adolescents don't care about their faith. Apathetic. Self-centered. Ignorant. These are the unfortunate labels that have been placed on these kids, often times due to no fault of their own. If they are lacking in the faith, it is because somewhere along the line, we adults have missed the mark in teaching them about what it means to have a relationship with Christ. In doing this, we have failed them.

Allow me to share with you some of the things the kids told me about this retreat:

"I would say my favorite part was probably going to the chapel, I was touched by how beautiful it was with the stained glass, I felt like I got a good moment with God."

"I loved how we got to spend time in the chapel, but I wish we had a little more time in there."

"I think it was very selfless of you to spend all your day today with us."

"I love that we spent time in the chapel. I loved the peace and quiet, it gave me time to think and write in my reflection notebook to God."

"I enjoyed going to the Chapel and reading the Bible. Next year can we have more time to read the Bible? I feel like reading the Bible really helped me see God better."

"I thought the saints stories you shared were really cool. Another cool part is the chapel time, I really wish that we could do that again."

"I'd love to hear more about St. Aloysius Gonzaga, as he embodied (some important qualities)...I love your enthusiasm during these retreats."

"Going into the Chapel was very relaxing and the stained glass was beautiful. It would be great next year if you had handouts to teach us how to pray the rosary."

Are these the words of the apathetic? The self-centered? The ignorant? No, I don't think they are. And these are just a fraction of the comments from the kids who, when asked what they liked most about the retreat, responded with "time in the Chapel." Instead of calling these kids apathetic, self-centered and ignorant, maybe we can see them the way their Creator sees them: Beloved, Child of God. And maybe, just maybe, we can walk with them as they explore their curiosity on their way to the Truth instead of just sticking to the rubrics.