Lass Words: What I learned from speaking at a high school

I had been invited to speak to a series of classes at one of our public high schools. 

It’s been a very long time since we had teenagers in our house. I really had no idea what today’s teen is like, how they think, what they value. Without associating with them on a daily basis, it is easy to stereotype and dismiss teenagers as shallow, insecure, celebrity-crazed robots who couldn’t care less about anything important, dwelling in the superficial world of their phones, incapable or unwilling to communicate with anyone over the age of 18. 

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I was wrong

But at least with these students, who appeared to be from all ethnicities and income levels, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

They were polite, attentive and serious. They had an intense interest in what was going on in the world. They were not taken in by artificial sincerity or fake news. They were desperate for truth, and had a desire to make the world a better place. They asked deep, difficult and meaningful questions. 

And it was obvious to me that many of them had a very solid spiritual background. You can tell — it shines through them like a flashlight through a sheet of paper. You can’t hide it. One of them shared with me afterward that she wants to go into ministry, and several went out of their way to express gratitude for my message. 

Making a difference

Clearly there have been Christian influences in their lives, people who poured into them with love, mercy and godly instruction.

It made a difference.

I didn’t know any of these kids or their families, but I hope their parents and teachers can see and appreciate the results of their efforts. 

I kept thinking about the authenticity of Proverbs 22:6: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Please know that every second you spend loving and instructing a child in the ways of Jesus Christ is making a difference. You may not see it, but rest assured it is stored securely in their soul, and will emerge when it is needed most. 

I walked away from that school quite sure these young men and women are going to change the world. For the better.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham television news and sports anchor and an award-winning columnist for numerous publications and websites.