Being a pastor’s daughter I’ve moved around alot, which means I’ve been involved with a lot of different churches. I was surprised to see that even in churches of the same denomination God is seen differently. Specifically  within youth groups. 

I moved from a church and school who told me Jesus was always watching to a church environment where people told me Jesus didn’t really care that I had sinned.  

Before I moved, youth group wasn’t about having fun and playing games, it was about the hour long sermon our youth pastor gave. It was like a second church service. You chatted with your friends for a couple minutes before the service started. Quickly found your seats. And sat quietly for the next hour of singing and a sermon. And after that you dived into small groups and discussed what you learned. I personally learned nothing. I couldn’t pay attention to another sermon at 7 oclock on a sunday. The church service feel made youth group more serious. In church you’re on your best behavior, so in the youth group we were on our best behavior.  To my church friends even the most miniscule sin was blown out of proportion. Anyone who liked rap or said the occasional curse word was committing a unforgivable sin that must immediately be driven out of them. I had a permanent picture of God frowning down on me whenever I did something wrong. 

After I moved, youth group was about having fun and a 30 minute sermon. It was like…well it was like a youth group. You showed up in the youth house. Chatted with your friends. Then gathered to play a quick game. After that you sat down and listened to a short sermon, divided into small groups and left. We came to the sermon all rowdy and fired up. Whereas my old youth group had set up rows of chairs we sat on the floor.  the little sins were not even considered sins because they were so tiny that Jesus wouldn’t care. Cursing was frowned upon within the church building but acceptable everywhere else.  

Neither of these youth groups were necessarily bad but the mindset of the students was. They viewed God from the extreme ends of the spectrum: God is constantly judging you for your sins and God does not care when you sin. God neither condemns you for your sins nor waves them away without care. God sees our sins and he forgives us. He cares what we do and wants us to live a life honoring him. But he still forgives. It’s best to find a balance between the two extremes. Knowing that your sins matter is important. But you shouldn’t let your sins control you. If you constantly focus on every sin you’ve ever committed you will never be able to forgive yourself. It will drive you insane. The Best solution is somewhere in the middle, to acknowledge your sin and repent. By repenting you apologize for your sins and promise to try not to commit that sin again. After that there is nothing more you can do but live out your repentance; you can move on.