Where Will You Put Your Faith?
In speaking with another adult PK (preacher's kid) recently, it was confirmed that one of my greatest challenges is shared by many PKs and others raised in the church: making my faith my own and not the faith of my parents or my church! If I choose not to put my faith in Christ, I will be putting my faith in someone or something else. This realization helped me greatly in youth ministries in Bolivia and now in the United States.
As the MK (Missionary Kid) Ministries coordinator for World Gospel Mission, I am privileged to work with young people who have had incredible life experiences. Whether raised in the wilds of Africa, a large city in South America, near a Native American reservation here in the United States, or in another one of our many world cultures, their worldview has been greatly influenced.
Assisting and encouraging missionary kids in transition is a vital aspect of my ministry. While each person goes through various life transitions, MKs can go through major cultural transitions several times before their late teens. They define “home” very differently than their parents and might even have difficulty in that very definition. In other words, when a missionary family returns from their place of service, Mom and Dad may be “home” while their children just left what they may consider their home.
Although I cannot write about their specific struggles, a recurring theme comes to the forefront: their personal faith or lack thereof. Even if they’ve had incredibly positive life experiences or study on a Christian campus, they’re still searching for where to put their faith. One young lady told me that even though she sees her parents’ great faith and has no doubt in that, she struggles to see or feel a loving God. Even though my heart aches when I hear about their struggles, I have the privilege of sharing the only hope I’ve found, and that’s in Christ.
It boils down to one thing: we are going to put our faith somewhere. Many of us will put our faith in work, church, a mentor, possessions, and even ministry; however, only One deserves our faith, belief, trust. We may not understand all of Christ’s ways in a fallen world, but He cannot fail, He cannot change, and He is faithful.
Please pray that I will be an encouragement to our missionary kids and other youth as God opens doors of sharing and as I am able to ask, “Where will you put your faith?”
GIVE: Partner with Mike Banks. He has asked you to pray regularly for him, but you can also show your support for this vital MK ministry through a gift to his ministry.
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