‘I want to try to get a good job, but I think I’ll end up as a decorator. I think its going to be quite difficult because I’m not very good at school so I won’t get high on my grades, which means it won’t be easy for me to get a job. They’ll think ‘he’s not very good’ and they won’t hire you.’
: 12 Year Old Boy

‘My priorities are to get my grades and get a job. I hope I’ll be good enough but that’s the ultimate security I think. That’s the whole point of doing these four years at university.’
: 20 year old girl

‘My hopes are to have a nice house, nice car, nice wife as well and a good job. Then I don’t have to worry about anything.’
: 15 year old boy

‘In the next ten years, I want to be successful and have my own business and be rich.’
: 13 year old girl


Bible: 1 Timothy 4:12 (The Message):

‘And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanour, by love, by faith, by integrity.’

A nice older lady turned to a young person and asked: ‘What are you going to be when you grow up?’ Without thinking too much, the young person replied: ‘Still younger than you.’

Paul wasn’t very keen on the slightly patronising ‘when you grow up’ syndrome. He didn’t believe Timothy had to wait till he grew up to ‘be’ something. He knew that Timothy was something already, and that Timothy’s church could learn a lot by looking at him then and there, rather than ignoring him till he got a bit older.

Hopes, dreams, aspirations and life-goals are all great things to have, but they shouldn’t make us miss out on the ‘now’. There are great things for us to do today, now, this minute! We are already worth looking at, talking to and listening to, as we are already a vital part of God’s dream for your church and your community. So! What does God want to do through us? How can we build each other up? How can we work together and use all that God has given us for his glory?


Prayer Ideas:

Get Empowered

Read some stories about the way God deals with young people, and hear the kind of things he says to them:

1 Samuel 17:1-52, Jeremiah 1:1-18, 1 Samuel 3:1-20.

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Source acknowledgement: Statistics and Quotes taken from:

The Burden of Youth Report:
by The Henley Centre, commissioned by The Salvation Army in 2001.

Beyond Belief? Barriers and Bridges to Faith Today:
Nick Spencer of The London Institute of Contemporary Christianity.

The Profile of Youth Workers 2003:
a private report by Alison Gelder and Philip Escott, commissioned by Churches Together in England Coordination group for Youth Work. Copyright Churches Together in England 2003.