By: Erin Pearce
Before I took the job as Jr. High Girls Director, I got a lot of funny comments. “Are you sure you want to work with Jr. High? They are so awkward!” “Are Jr. High kids even human beings?” While these were just lighthearted jokes, I feel that this is the mindset of most people when thinking of Jr. High kids: “What could they possibly do to be a positive influence on this earth?”
Today I experienced something quite phenomenal with three Jr. High girls. We went to visit a dear lady who just turned 75. She has one amputated leg, the other leg has a blood clot and is extremely painful, her right hand has no functioning ability, and she can’t talk, just to name a few ailments.
These three girls marched into this lady’s room and started singing, dancing, reading, doing cheers, and telling jokes, and they brought more life to this room than I’ve ever seen! I truly have never seen so much joy exude from Ms. Shirley’s face. They definitely brought an energizing light that I was not capable of.
Isn’t it funny how God chooses to use "awkward" people to bring such a life-giving joy? So be encouraged: your Jr. High kids are not only doing what Jesus commands us to do, they are doing it well and wanting to do it more and more. Praise the Lord.
James 1:27 - “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
James stresses concern for widows and orphans as a true measure of obedience that is pleasing to God, because it reflects the concern of God Himself. May we follow the example of these sweet Jr. High girls.
