Relieve the Pressure By Focusing on Purpose

The Pressure is On

We may have started a new year, but in the world of youth ministry, half of the year is over. Only 5 or 6 months until our seniors graduate. I am sure that many of you, like me, have received several phone calls and texts from excited seniors boasting their acceptance to their chosen college or university. Some of them can’t wait to leave mom and dad; others have plans to lock themselves in their bedroom in fear of what is to come. The pressure is on.

But what about the juniors? Most of them have taken the ACT or SAT, or both. Junior year in high school is often considered the toughest academically. Some have multiple AP courses with hours of homework each night. The average homework load for one AP course is 90 minutes a night. Imagine the burden of multiple classes. It is the make it or break it year. By now they should be lining up their applications and recommendation letters for their college of choice. Don’t blow it, because the pressure is mounting.

What about the sophomores (and even some freshman). Pre-ACT and SAT tests, meetings with counselors, and sessions with tutors to increase scores on exams. Some parents even hire consultants to assist with the process and navigate the competition. The minute students enter high school; the pressure is coming.

What does all this pressure amount to? Whether the pressure is academic, athletic, or in the arts, it is pressure to succeed. It is pressure to hopefully afford students the best possible chance to be successful in a highly competitive marketplace. It is well intended, but if not navigated and managed, can be damaging. When students are laser focused on getting into college, they risk defining their purpose in life by what they aspire to be post-high school. When the prize becomes success rather than Jesus, it distorts their purpose.

Counter-Cultural Purpose

I once heard Louie Giglio say, “It doesn’t matter what you do, it matters who you carry.” Genesis 1:26 reminds us that humanity was created to reflect the image and glory of God. We are vicegerents of God’s creation, designed to care for creation and show off who God is. We know that success is not about grades, college acceptances, or money. But with the mounting pressure students are forced to carry, it is easy to lose sight of God's purpose for us. When we fail at our image bearing responsibility, it sends into a downward spiral into idolatry. We begin to worship something that is not God, and as N.T. Wright notes, “we fall in love with death.” Allowing our students to miss seeing their purpose as God designed it, denies them the beauty of life that God has created for them.

The New Year is often thought of as new beginnings. So to kick off 2017, take some time to start fresh and remind your students that it does not matter if they are a stockbroker on Wall Street or a stock boy at Wal-Mart; so long as they carry the name of Jesus with them. The Gospel is desperately needed in both places and everywhere in between.

God has uniquely gifted each of your students to serve His kingdom in a way only they can. Help them see that all this education and testing and college preparation should be so that they can see how God has wired them and how they can take the name of Jesus into college and a profession they love. Encourage them to work as hard as they can, to push themselves, enjoy the successes, and learn from failures.

This constant reminder and focus on their purpose in Christ will help relieve some of the pressure.