Opportunity Missed

Well, this sophomore year has gotten a little more intense. I’ve been playing a bit of catch-up already. One more late night and I should be pulling more regular sleeping hours. Should be. =).

The Story (Warning: There’s going to be some language here)

Today I was walking to Econ Discussion about half an hour early (I have an hour break with nothing much to do) when I happened upon a group of 4 teenagers skating down the Evans Hill. I didn’t expect them to talk to me because they looked like high school students who were at Berkeley just to skate and hang out.

Out of the blue, one of the high school students looked straight at me, shouted, “Class of 2013! This is our song!” and proceeded to play a song on his phone that resembled mainstream hip-hop. Semi-English lyrics and everything. This kid had a high school swagger to him – you know, when you try to be older than you really are. I could tell these guys were kids even though they claimed to be in college. I could also tell they were trying to be cool, or how they felt “cool” should look like when people were in college.

He then asked me what class I was going to, and I replied “Economics.” Another one of his friends came up to me and asked what I was going to do after college, and I replied “Probably get a job.” Looking at me with wide eyes, the same teenager asked me, “Does a job get you vagina?” I wasn’t sure what I heard, and so I mumbled, “What?” with disbelief. The first skater that spoke to me piped, “Hey, have you gone partying at those frat parties? Have you gotten bush?”

I was pretty shocked at how they were acting. I told them that I wasn’t at college for that. I wasn’t the type of guy that lived that type of life, and I made that clear. They replied, “Oh, so you’re at college doing the real thing, like studying and stuff.”

“Yea,” I replied.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you from your class. Nice talking to you, man!”

“Yea.” I gave him a high-five/handshake.

“Hey, can you take us to one of those frat parties?”

“No way, dude. To be honest, man, I don’t think you should be going to those. Not exactly the best lifestyle. And you know what? They’re overrated anyways.”

By the time I said my last line, they had stopped paying attention to me and went back to their skating. I went into Evans and sat down to do some reading before section.

What I Wished Happened

“Oh, so you’re at college doing the real thing, like studying and stuff.”

“Hold on. I want you to listen to me because you need to hear this. Someone – I don’t know who – or something has told you that, for some reason, all college guys act like the way you’re acting right now. And you know what? You need to stop doing this. You need to get it in your head that whoever is telling you this is feeding you a bunch of bull about sex, about women, about yourself, and about becoming a man. You should be ashamed of the way you’re talking because it doesn’t make you look cool. It makes you look stupid. It makes you look immature. It shows how you’ve been duped by some other idiot who follows this lifestyle and will probably find himself hurt, broken, and empty, but too prideful and busy with his life to pause and admit his own folly. Don’t put your value into this. Don’t put your life into this. Please. Please. Because once you fall, you might get up, but after that first fall, you’re never the same. Don’t listen to what the media tells you, don’t listen to what those boneheads told you.”

And to Go a Little Further

I walked away wishing I had been more firm, more action-oriented, more conscious of what action I should have taken rather than walking away. I wish I could have instilled into them there the biblical view of manhood. I wish I could have shaken the scales from their eyes and taught them about an alternative lifestyle – a counter-culture lifestyle – that would demand everything from them but give them more, to the infinite power, than they could have ever believed.

Maybe what I wished would have happened wouldn’t have really done anything at all. And I’m convinced that in that time frame I had I couldn’t have done much. But instead of tossing in their general directions clues and hints as to who I was as a disciple of Christ, I could have at least dug a hole in the soil, planted a seed, and covered it to let it grow.

High school students.

God, I pray and hope for this teenager and his friends. I pray that as small as our meeting may have been, these boys would have seen that there existed on college campuses guys who weren’t doing all that “college stuff.” Not everyone partied. Not everyone treated women that way. Not everyone treated their own life that way.

And then at least, maybe from that point, they would ask, “Why?” and perhaps begin an intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual journey that would lead them to Your heart. It’s a stretch, God, and I’m asking You to make much out of a whole lot of nothing. But Your Word says You’re in that business. Making much out of little.

Heck, I’ve experienced it myself.

PS: Check out www.interhigh.org. Gracepoint Fellowship Church is part of holding an awesome event to train high school Christians and mentor them to grow in the faith and learn more about God and each other. It’s a crazy parallel to Impact, City to City, and other organizations back home. High school ministry? I’m feeling a small push…