One of my life verses and the first one I memorized is 1 Timothy 4:12 that says, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” This verse always stuck out to me because I was such a doer and I wasn’t always fond of having to know my place. Unfortunately for me, this is a double edged sword because I have the perks of initiative, leadership, and boldness, but I also tend to buck authority, step on toes, and act too quickly. The last couple of years have been my battle to try and find the balance, but this verse can never leave my thoughts and prayers.
When Paul wrote this passage to Timothy, he was leaving Timothy in charge of a church. While Timothy wasn’t a child, he wasn’t of the typical age that most people would expect from a “senior pastor”. The two letters Paul wrote to him were encouragements, coaching points, and challenges to call Timothy out to the leader he was supposed to be. A leader that shouldn’t wait for opportunities to be handed to him, but a leader that was born that way and should step into the talents and gifts he possesses. I say all this to introduce Karmen because she’s encouraged me a lot to know that someone was listening through all my years of rambling.
Karmen went on our first mission trip to Mexico with our church that I was able to lead. She was still very young, very loud, and battling most of the issues that middle schoolers and under classmen fight. The biggest perk to Karmen was that behind one of the thickest southern accents I’ve ever heard, was a fluency in Spanish that most spend years in school trying to acquire. Since Karmen came on this trip without any friends and I didn’t know a lick of Spanish, I dubbed her my kid sister and told her to tag along with me. Honestly, I didn’t expect much out of her because of her age and immaturity, but having a translator is always nice.
So Karmen stuck by my side and I was amazed at what I saw over the next couple of weeks. While we were all together during worship and fellowship, her age was very obvious. The second we stepped into “actual ministry”, she became one of the most dynamic leaders of the group. I went from leading the conversations via her translating, to asking her what was going on because she had taken control. As a short term student pastor, it was one of my favorite moments to see her take over and walk out her gifts.
From the beginning, this verse just made since to Karmen and she embraced it. Now, she’s leading one of the biggest relief efforts in Tuscaloosa in helping the Spanish speaking population through the tragedy of the tornadoes and understanding what it means for many of them that have lost their homes. This isn’t something Karmen heard about and joined a few weeks after the destruction. It’s a need she knew about from the first minute and rallied the right people together to make an impact. For a high school senior, I’d say that’s not allowing your age to be a hindrance.
All through high school, I held this verse close to my heart. Now that I’m turning 25 tomorrow, I still can’t think of straying from it. I think that my age may could be a hindrance no matter what year it is or what position I’m in. Right now I’m being told I’m too young to do things, but if God tells me to do it, whose voice should I listen to? My favorite part of that verse is something I’m just now learning. It’s not talking about just setting an example in taking action and leading the charge. It also mentions the words I choose to use, the way I love, the faith that I stand on, and the purity I hold on to. There’s so much more to set an example on. I’m just breaching the tip of the iceberg…
