Experimenting With Jesus

by Titus Benton

Say it however you want—most middle schoolers are just experimenting with Jesus. We can call it experience driving the train of belief; we can call it belonging before believing—we can come up with numerous ways to describe it. The bottom line is, most middle schoolers have not arrived at many conclusions about God, the Bible, their own calling, etc. They are searching, discovering, re-discovering and test-driving.

This should come as no surprise to an astute early-adolescent observer. These same students are experimenting with everything—groups of friends, taste in music, the design of their Facebook page, sports, hobbies and clubs. They drift and wander, sticking temporarily to one thing before moving on to another. Sometimes this movement is like a pinball, as they dart from interest to interest. Other times it’s slower, spanning their entire middle school experience. They’re not particularly disloyal or two faced. They are not hypocrites.

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