Calling all kids aged eight to twelve! You're tweens or tweenagers because you're between life as a little kid and life as a teenager. It's cool to be you! Do you believe that? I do! I interviewed hundreds of kids your age, all around the world and I learned that tweens are cool. YOU ARE COOL, and you have so many cool things going for you.
God made you in an especially cool way. He did! He knew you before he created the world, and obviously, even before your parents knew you! Read this very cool Bible passage from Psalm 139:13-14: "For you formed my inner parts; you covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well" (NKJV). You see, God made you cool because he is awesome and he loves you with all his heart. He wants you to grow into a young man or woman of God. He reminds you in his words of the great plans he has for you (check out Jeremiah 29:11).
It's cool to be you! God has great plans for you. I hope you believe that fact. I'm not just talking about plans for when you get older; God has great plans for you - today, tomorrow, the next day and the next! God has special plans for you every day. He loves for your faith in him to grow and show! He loves for you to help others, make someone laugh, or be a hero. He loves to show you how much he loves you and how special you are to him. It's cool to be you! That message is coming from Jesus! He made you cool! He forgives you! He loves you! He thinks tweenagers are way cool!
Realizing the incredible love God has for you, isn't it fun to share his love with others? I asked Louisa, an 11 year-old who lives in Russia who was her hero, she responded, "My hero is the person who is persevering, loves God, will not stop until he has done his best, is positive, can laugh at himself for his mistakes, will always try to help others to be the best they can be, and will stop at nothing to tell the world - or just the people in his neighborhood - about the love of Jesus. Whoever he may be. He is my hero."
Isn't that an awesome answer? I told you tweens are cool! Like Louisa, you are able to share your faith in some really cool and deep ways! Reread what David wrote in Psalm 139:13-14. Then reread what Louisa wrote. Stop and thank God for making you a special, gifted, and dearly loved tweenager! And also ask him to show you all the ways he can use you tomorrow and the next day and every day after that.
There's no doubt about it, tweenager, it's cool to be you . . . because you're a child of God!
Being a preteen is cool because . . .
• you don’t have to deal with teenage stuff yet, like your face breaking out in pimples or someone breaking up with you;
• you still have recess at school;
• you understand jokes you didn’t get when you were younger;
• you like to take turns reading with someone or you enjoy letting someone read with you;
• you get to pay the kid’s price at -you-can-eat restaurants, but you can eat as much as an adult if you want;
• you enjoy asking questions and finding out cool stuff your friends don’t know;
• you still like surprises and surprising others;
• you still like making faces;
• you’re a tweenager – cool name, huh?
• you often find body noises extremely funny;
• you are dearly loved by Jesus Christ, your Savior;
• you realize God can use you to help him and others;
• you share your faith in some really cool and deep ways!
Complete the following sentences as you consider ways God might use you as his special tweenager:
1. I can help someone by _____________________________________ , just like Jesus would.
2. I can bring a smile or laughter to someone who is not feeling very happy by
___________________________________________________________.
3. Taking Jesus' example, I can serve Jesus and my family when I
___________________________________________________________.
4. I can be a Christ-like hero to someone by
___________________________________________________________.
Tim Wesemann is founder of Foolish Words Ministries. He has been serving God through full-time writing and speaking since May of 2000 and has published a dozen books, including Dr. Devo's New-Fangled Lickety-Split Devotions and The Book of Cool (Zonderkidz) He is married to Chiara and they have three children. For more information visit www.foolishwords.com