The pressure for teens to be perfect has escalated. According to an article in the Washington Post earlier this year,
” …perfectionism, is a mix of excessively high personal standards (“I have to excel at everything I do”) and intense self-criticism (“I’m a complete failure if I fall short”). In its unhealthiest forms, perfectionism can lead to eating disorders, depression, high blood pressure and thoughts of suicide.”
Pressure from parents to pursue perfect
Pressure from coaches to execute perfect
Pressure from school to score perfect
Pressure from social to look perfect
And yes, pressure from us to be more ___________ (fill in the blank)
All this expecting perfect rubs off on a kids spiritual life. How many of your kids think God expects them to be perfect? How many of you think God expects you to be perfect or have the “perfect” youth ministry?
Let’s take a breath. Let’s get back to a masterpiece mindset. God created us to have fellowship with Him. We messed up in the garden and we’ve been scrambling to be perfect, on our own, ever since.
Thank God for for his grace in sending his Son so we could experience 2 Corinthians 5:17
“the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
At the beginning of camp this summer, a kid told me, “My parents think I’m a screw up.” By the end of the week this same kid boldly stated, “I’m a masterpiece created by God.”
This new five week series will equip you to help your teens get back to a masterpiece mind set and will lift the weight of perfect that is crushing them. Let’s remind our students that they are masterpieces, created by God, loved by God, no extra work required.
Start the Masterpiece Mindset by grabbing the series here.