My husband and I served together in college and career ministry before the Lord moved me into children’s ministry. This group of young men and women were at our house often during the week and on weekends, and of course we were with them on Sunday’s and Wednesdays. Our girls grew up around this group of young men and women.

I am not sure if this group knew how much and how closely our girls were watching them. Through our involvement in youth and college ministry, we had some of these kids in our lives from the time they were in Jr High all the way through College. So our girls knew their names, their faces, and they were watching them… they still are watching them.

When our middle child went up into the youth program we allowed her to get a twitter so that she could keep up with our youth minister’s promotions and shout outs… we explained the warnings and what she needed to watch for and be careful concerning and the big rule was to know “in the real world” who she allowed to follow her. She so far has showed us a maturity that we are very thankful for. She is quick delete those who consistently post things that do not line up with Philippians 4:8

 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Granted there were some bumps and lessons along the way early to remind her of this… but since those she truly appears to have learned. She is a very engineer minded child. There is wrong and there is right. There is black and there is a white. There is good and there is bad. She just doesn’t sway much in the gray area or live on the fence… it’s one side or the other. It’s the reason her favorite subject is math.

Yesterday on the way to church we had this conversation:

Shelby: I had to quit following — on twitter because they kept cussing. Did you and Daddy have them in your college class?

Me: No, I had already moved to children’s ministry by the time they graduated

Shelby: I knew I didn’t think they could have been in my momma and daddy’s class! 

This conversation with my child warmed my heart…

My daughter shared this with me and I realized how thankful I am for this group of kids that God allowed us to have in our lives. Our girls remember them and the truth is my husband and I still keep tabs on them and we talk about them often. So when my twelve year old was allowed to get a Twitter and needed people to follow and tweet… who do you think were on her list of names to send and receive follow request… yes, all those college kids she grew up surrounded by.

What she discovered from this group of then “kids” is that most of them, now young adults, carry themselves well in life and especially on social media. She compares all others to this group that she grew up with. They have set the standard by which she judges the integrity of others in that age group. Whether they like it or not, know it or not, they have become the unchanging factor by which she measures all other variables by in her scientific mind.

They were judged by a six year old… and are still being watched by a twelve year old. (No pressure guys!)

Now granted my husband and I knew these kids were not perfect… we knew they had made, were making, and would make many mistakes… but we saw them consistently drawn back to the grace of God and our girls got to see and hear us minister to them in their joys and in their failures… Today many of them are now leaders in our church or another church. Some are married and having children that they bring to our church… I can’t believe that I am now teaching the kids of the kids I taught! Some are serving others in their community and being examples of Christ in their jobs and careers. We are so very proud of them!

These “kids” were judged by a six year old and are still being used as a standard by which to judge others… so for all of those who think that your actions don’t matter and no one has a right to judge you… it doesn’t really matter whether you think anyone has a right to or not… eyes see, and ears hear, and hearts understand… you are being judged and you will be judged… get used to it… and instead of stomping and pouting and screaming about it… get on your face before God… come to the grace of God… be wrapped in the arms of Christ and clothed in His righteousness so that you can stand acquitted in the face of it.