“When He (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36

What do you see when you look at a young person? It is easy to see the external realities of a teenager and miss the internal potential. Our experience with First Priority has shown us that most young people believe adults don’t like the way they look or dress and we don’t like their music or anything else about them. Too often what they believe is actually true. And guess what? It shows in the way we treat them.

In Thailand, a Buddhist temple is home to an 11 feet tall, two and a half ton, solid gold statue of Buddha. The 200 million dollar Buddha was discovered in 1957 when a crane picked up the statue masked in clay, and it developed serious cracks. Underneath was the golden Buddha. Historians theorize the statue was hidden in clay to prevent an invading army from taking it as plunder. Youth are a lot like that statue. Some may have a deceptive layer of human clay, but there is gold in every one of them. The job of all of us with important young people in our lives is to uncover the gold and reveal the value and worth that is at the core of every teenager. Jesus looked at a group of 12 underachievers (His disciples) and saw a group overachievers that turned the world upside down. Jesus affirmed people, lifted them up and brought out the very best in them. No person encountered Jesus and walked away the same. The same should be said for us.

Greg Davis

President, First Priority

For more information about First Priority Greater Birmingham, visit www.gofirstpriority.com.