(This post was written by Matt Grimes, Middle School Ministry Pastor)

This past Wednesday night was a huge night for us in the Middle School Ministry here at FPC.  It was our first night back with school being in session.  We had a Back 2 Skool Bash for our students with 200 attending.  At the beginning of our night we roped off the main entrance to the room and created a VIP entrance complete with a red carpet runway.  As the doors opened, each side of the entrance was lined with leaders screaming like teenager girls at a Justin Bieber concert.  We announced each grade, and they got the chance to walk the red carpet and enter Remix for the first time this school year.  The smiles on their faces were priceless.  I couldn’t help but think how if must have felt for many of them.  For many it was the first time they ever walked down a red carpet or heard the roar of adoring fans.  No doubt they felt valued and important.  Take a moment and think back to when you were a teenager.  It never hurt for someone to value you, did it?

I want to challenge us as leaders in our families to create times where we make our kids feel valued and important.  Our kids live in a world that constantly tells them they are not important, and tries to tear them down.  It’s easy to spend our time talking about the areas where they are not meeting expectations, but just as important as dealing with that, we need to encourage and build up our kids as well.  We need to make them feel important and valued.  It can be as simple as taking  time to spend with them one on one, with none of the other kids.  Or maybe it’s giving them a special day where they get to pick what they want to do.  It doesn’t have to be something huge.  Most of the time it’s simply spending time focused on them.  If all else fails, and you are struggling with what to do, just ask them “What’s a way that I can make you feel more valued?”  I am sure they will come up with a good answer.

Let’s do our best to build up our kids and make them feel that we value them individually for who God has made them to be.  I challenge you this week to roll out the red carpet for your kids, and give them a boost in their confidence.  You never know the impact that it could have.