How Different things could have Been…

As I type this, I am sitting in the car park at Church. I have been rehearsing while the kids are at Youth. I finished earlier than they did so I am sitting here watching them in the Youth Hall. I am sitting here with a silly grin on my face (thankfully it is dark!) and my heart overwhelming with thankfulness.

It’s not that I am stalking the kids (I’m trying hard not to be one of those Mum’s) but as I sit here and watch them having copious amounts of fun with their friends, I can’t help but be so grateful to God. To have our kids so planted in Church is not something we take for granted, and it’s something I thank God for each day. Both kids have incredible friends, love going to Church, and both of them have a personal relationship with Jesus. Really, what more could a Mum ask for?

But as I sit here with a thankful heart, my mind wanders and I start to think about how different my life could have looked if I had had that as a teenager. If someone had believed in me as their youth leaders believe in them. If someone had checked in on me on a regular basis. If someone, just that little bit older, had taken an interest in me and had mentored me as I know happens with my kids! I wonder how different my teenage years would have looked. I wonder how differently, I may have turned out!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change my teenage years for anything, because that is part of who I am today, but let’s face it, I made a lot of silly mistakes in my youth! I hurt myself in the process as well as hurting those close to me. I let people down, I was disobedient to my parents and to God, and I had little or no respect for the people who loved and cared for me. I was rebellious, stubborn, and thought I knew everything! But really, I was a lost little girl who needed God more than she ever realized or would care to admit!

I am so grateful God didn’t leave me where I was, but picked me up and set me on a path that would lead me to Him.

So if your kids are planted in a youth group of Sunday School, please don’t take it for granted! Take the time and thank the leaders who are inputting into your kid’s lives. And if your kids aren’t in a youth group, can I encourage you to get them into one. Who knows, someone in that youth group may just be the catalyst in your kid’s life that will help them stay on the right path!