Youth Singing His Praises

Youth Singing His Praises

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

When I was growing up, I attended my church youth group for just one reason—to see my friends and to see what cute guys were there. In Amish communities young people do that, too, but they spend the majority of time singing hymns and songs.

The singing is a venue where young members of the community socialize. When an Amish teen reaches the age of 16, he or she will be expected to “go with the youth,” and select a youth group to join. . . . Groups are “higher” and “lower”—I was at the singing of a particularly “low” group, which is another way of saying more conservative when it comes to guidelines. All youth in this group, for example, use open carriages. . . . This group is adult-supervised, with adults attending the day’s events, though that is not the case with all of them.

The youth singing usually starts off with a game, such as volleyball. Then there is a time to eat and chat. In addition to socialization, the young people are also looking for future husbands or wives. The teenagers sing hymns from the Ausbund. They take turns leading the songs, and they sing for two hours and then have more snacks.

Not all Amish youth behave properly, but reading about these youth singings gives me encouragement. It also reminds me that young people will rise to the standards we set for them. I’ve personally set high standards for my children as teenagers, and although they have fallen short at times, they’ve at least learned to set their sights high.

Whether we are setting standards for ourselves or for others, we should always aim for God’s standard. When we focus on living with love, faith, and purity, God will strengthen our efforts, and we’ll be shining reflections of Christ to the world around us.

Dear heavenly Father, the world puts no trust in young people. Help me to lift up, inspire, and encourage the young people You put in my life! And may I live my own life by a standard they can follow.