Someone wise once told me, “Stay away from the tiger’s face and front paws. Then he is less likely to maul your face off.” No these words did not come from a fortune cookie at Ho King, but rather they came shortly before I stepped into a cage with three full-sized tigers in Thailand on my trip there last summer. Now you might be wondering why on earth I would do something like that. No, it was not a “Daniel in the lion’s den” situation, but rather it was simply to get a few good pictures and for the fun and excitement of the experience…I mean how many people can say that they’ve hung out with tigers before? Now of course staying away from the face and front paws was good advice, but the second I touched the tiger I knew that if this tiger wanted me for lunch, there was nothing I could do to stop it.
The reason why I share these words of wisdom with you is not only so you know what to do in case you ever come across a tiger. Looking back I realize the possible outcomes, which could have, but thankfully, didn’t happen. What if the tiger had turned around as I was lying across its body and thought I looked like a great choice for lunch, or what if the photographer had forgotten to turn the flash off on his camera and freaked the tiger out, causing it to rampage around the cage and most likely hurt someone. Obviously I hadn’t thought this out too well beforehand and the mental image of me next to a tiger was all that was on my mind.
Working with the youth here at Crossroads, I constantly discuss similar situations with students. Where they do something, not thinking about the possible outcomes, and sometimes end up hurt or in trouble. I’m not talking about playing with tigers, taking their bikes off thirty-foot jumps or other acts simply seeking thrill, I’m talking about students who participate in various acts where all they can see is the acceptance that they’ll get in the end, not even thinking about other possible outcomes from the situation which could be physical pain, mental/emotional suffering, grounding, detention or in trouble with the law.
It’s oftentimes that students, and even adults sometimes, are not secure in their identity and that’s why they often participate in these acts seeking acceptance. The OneEighty and HangTime season will kick off this fall with a series titled, “Am I?” in which students will hear the truth about where they should look to find their true identity, which is to Christ.
OneEighty is for 9th graders to seniors and meets on Tuesday nights starting September 13th and HangTime is for 6th to 8th graders and meets on Wednesday nights starting September 14th. If you are interested in possibly volunteering to hang out with and mentor either middle school or high school students, feel free to e-mail either Jake Kerschner, our director of youth ministry and middle school pastor, or for those interested in the high school ministry, e-mail Erik Spiker, our senior high pastor.
Wishing you all a happy August,
Ryan R Nyquist
Posted on
Thu, August 11, 2011
by Ryan Nyquist