“Please cut up that overripe zucchini and give it to the chickens,” said the young mom to her oldest son, a 10-year-old, as we stood in their garden. Immediately, he whipped out his knife from its pouch on his belt.  After he and his two younger siblings fed the chickens, I was escorted to a fort the children had made on an obscure edge of their property. Later, in the barn, the boys regaled me on the finer points of their dad’s tractor.  After the two boys each played well-done pieces on the piano, I noticed the oldest boy give a gentle kiss on the head to a puppy asleep in his sister’s arms.

His barely five-year-old sister bravely sang the national anthem for us, after which the brothers demonstrated an original Lego structure with moving parts and elaborate heavy equipment.  Watching them include a new child in their games made my heart soar because the visitor was our granddaughter.  On another day, a dearly loved child, only 11 years old, openly shared with us her challenges in studying the Bible with a friend who doesn’t know anything about the Bible and has poor reading skills.  Eleven-year-olds studying the Bible together because they want to!  These past week’s experiences made dear Husband and I think our hearts would burst with happiness and gratitude to God and their parents. I can’t think of anything better than seeing children flourishing and becoming all God made them to be.

No matter your age, there are people on the path of life behind you. As we grow older, there are more folks behind us! I want to do everything I can to help them become all God wants them to be. That way they can replace me when the time comes and in the meantime, they’ll be a huge blessing to me!

I tried to remember how my gifts started to develop as a youth. I recalled that when I was a young teen, adults trusted me with serious responsibility. Perhaps because I looked older than I was, or because I was a serious young person, they assumed I could handle it. I can remember being trusted with a cabin full of little girls at a summer camp when I was an early teen; a job I took extremely seriously. The experience propelled me toward majoring in education and teaching has brought me so much joy in the many years since. The fact that adults trusted me, grew confidence in me. Surely if they thought I could do it, I could! Which young person can you entrust with a job that is a stretch, but utilizes gifts you recognize in them?

The safe part about my role as a young camp counselor was that I wasn’t on my own. There were adults all around me for backup if I should need it and lots of accountability in the form of cabin clean-up inspections, and strictly scheduled activities and meals. I wasn’t a Lone Ranger. I was under authority. How can you provide backup and accountability while allowing freedom for a young person?

A repeating pattern was being entrusted with responsibility even though I was young. From the time I was in kindergarten, I aided my crippled grandmother on a daily basis.  I think our society wrongly shields young people from situations that require a great deal of them. I’m not advocating throwing kids in the deep end and walking off. But we can throw them in when we know they are capable and we are available. Hovering doesn’t instill confidence, it instills dependence. Availability instills confidence that there is backup if worst comes to worst. They aren’t alone, but they are trusted to exercise good judgment and skill on their own. Who is capable that you can delegate work to while you are available for them (but not micro-managing)?

I don’t remember being told that I did a good job. But being trusted to do difficult work was enough of a compliment. When I was 19, I taught children in one of the government housing projects in Chicago. I was responsible to instruct the children on the playground in an informal day camp although no one was supervising. It was time for me to step up as an adult. That experience was invaluable in learning intercultural relationships, too. Many of the children were immigrants and my interactions with their parents taught me much whether or not we could communicate with words. It was preparation for living overseas for ten years in a culture not my own. Who in your life is of age to launch out on their own to grow and mature?

I don’t want to forget to mention the fact that I had excellent training. My major in Bible school was Christian education and I had excellent teachers who equipped me and poured into me their enthusiasm for teaching. Even though we see natural ability and God’s gifting in a younger person, it doesn’t mean that they don’t need training to hone their skills. Instruction, as well as apprenticing, is absolutely necessary for them to become all they are meant to be. We can be examples for them by welcoming them beside us as we use our gifts. Hopefully, they can gain insight as they watch us navigate our tasks. Sharing our joys and challenges shows them what they can expect as they step into their own work. Who can you invite to stand at your elbow as an apprentice while you work? (Work in the broad sense of serving in any capacity.)

Wise counsel from those on the path ahead of younger people is invaluable. We older ones aren’t to talk down to the younger ones but to respect them. That way we are respecting their gifting and the God who gave them the gift. We can be honest and make them aware of pitfalls from our broader experience. We can encourage them to keep going in the good direction they are already headed. Taking time to share our hearts can stimulate them to take the baton and run their part of the race.

Young people will appreciate your confidence in their character and in their abilities. This doesn’t mean you are constantly praising them. Rather, they will feel your deep confidence in them as you share your heart and entrust more and more to them. They will feel your respect for them and your anticipation of their progress.

Here are some of Paul’s words to young Timothy to whom he has entrusted difficult work after apprenticing him:
“I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith.
When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is   contrary to the truth.
Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you    earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles.
If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of         Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have     followed
Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them.
Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young.
Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the     elders of the church laid their hands on you.
Give your complete attention to these matters.
Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.
But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a       godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before   many witnesses
Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you.” Excerpts from 1 Timothy chapters 4 and 6

Here are a few of my takeaways from how Paul helped Timothy step into leadership:
Assign tasks in keeping with a person’s gifting.
Give responsibility and authority
Trust them
Don’t micro-manage
Assign goals
Teach principles
Give guidelines
Warn about pitfalls
Inspire
Acknowledge their gifting
Hold them to high standards (expect a lot)

Let’s not ‘cage up’ our young people.

But let them flex their developing muscles by trusting them with appropriate tasks.