Kid Nation

The Kid Nation finale came on tonight. As a youth pastor, I found the show intriguing. In case you're not a fan, CBS placed 40 kids in the desert of New Mexico to see if they could survive as a society. Three kids got homesick and left Bonanza City, but the other 37 stuck it out. They cooked, cleaned, ran stores, elected leaders, held church services, and awarded deserving pioneers with $20,000 gold stars.

I think Kid Nation proved something I've believed to be true for awhile. Our kids are not our future; they are our today. They can be insightful and articulate. They can organize and lead. They can achieve goals together. Why aren't we challenging our kids to reach their potential? In his book Be the Change, 15 year old Zach Hunter says, "My generation needs someone to set the bar high for us so we have something to live up to or even live beyond." Are we doing that for them?

However, I think the producers of Kid Nation missed one big point: Adults who cared about them (or at least cared about not being sued) created boundaries in which these kids lived. Adults created the structures for jobs, the means of reward, and the protective hand in case someone got hurt. Behind every kid who is living out their full potential needs to be a loving, caring adult providing a supportive hand. We can be there to guide kids, to be a listening ear when they struggle, and to point out the ways God is working as they live fully for him.

The sky's the limit for today's youth, but be there to fly alongside of them.