I remember it well; Monday night Youth Class. I was just 16 years old, doing my best to lead a group of unchurched students in the right direction. We had increased our Monday night attendance from 4 to around 30 on a regular basis, and our small youth room would barely hold all of us. One boy asked to use the restroom, which was downstairs, and a good distance down the hallway. I gave him permission, and he headed down. I felt that something wasn't kosher, so I asked my wife (not my wife at that time) to watch the class while I went downstairs. I walked in the restroom to find this young man stuffing marijuana into the trash can. As soon as he saw me, he began to weep. This brought me to the point where I had to make a choice. Scold him, tell him how angry I was, send him home, or minister to him. I didn't say a word at first; I simply put my arm around his shoulder and pulled him in. He buried his face in my shoulder and wept. Now for those who are questioning this, we eventually did deal with what happened. However, my choice to not overreact, I believe, led to this young man receiving the Holy Ghost not more than a month down the road, on a Monday night in our youth class.
We all have students with problems, and we must deal with them. The question is, How do we approach the situation? Do they see frustration and anger, or love and patience? Our words and our actions will forever have an impact on them. They must know that we do not condone sin, but that we still love the sinner. After all, isn't that what a sinner does - sin? Let's lead them with love. Let's lead them with patience and longsuffering. Let's lead them the way God led us!
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