I make kids cry. It's sort of what I do for a living. Dana (my wife) and I were joking with each other about it the other day. Sometimes in my business tears are indicators of success. They can be tears of a broken heart or tears of joy. They can be tears for one's own condition, tears of empathy, or tears for the world. Oh, I make them laugh too. I make them smile. Sometimes I make them mad. It's all part of the job. There's a school of thought that says I shouldn't do this. "They are teenagers!" someone exclaims. "They are already an emotional mess. Their feelings are easy to manipulate." "Are you nuts???" I respond. Have you been around any teenagers lately? Apathy is the norm. It's even encouraged. They dare you to try to make them feel something. Don't get me wrong, I educate. I teach lots of Bible facts and theology. That's not really the challenge. Most of these kids are natural learners. The tough job is to get them to connect on a relational/emotional level with God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and each other; to challenge them to embrace a faith that saturates their entire beings (heart, soul, mind and strength).
I make kids cry. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.
AE