Adolescents Matter to God (And they must matter to us)

It has not been a good couple of weeks for role-models. LeBron James, the face of the NBA, was busted for pushing the needle past 100 on the freeway. (No big deal, he shrugged it off). Dwight Howard, a rising star who will soon dominate, and a self-professes devout Christian, confirmed his fatherhood out of wedlock. Is it fair to lump these young men in with the naked-shopping rock-bottom excavating of Brittany Spears, the recently-relapsed Lindsay Lohan, or "papa-don't-preach-cause-I'm-keeping-the-baby Jamie Lynn Spears? Is it fair to ask these young men and women to behave in a way worthy of imitating? Charles Barkley famously affirmed that he was indeed not a role model and Dwayne Wade's most recent advertising blitz implores us not to be him...but be better. Unfortunately, we would do wise to apply these words across the board.
The media is not in the business of making role models, but rather takes it upon itself to zoom in on trainwreck tv, yet the mentor vacuum is made manifest on the local level as well. Teachers are pressured to reach particular performance platforms and coaches love the game and the win more than the participant. Recently, a student could not decide whether to attend the youth retreat or an athletic event. The coach counseled her with this wisdom: "God will be there (at the event) too" and "You can pray...while you play."
I know role models exist, I have them and work with them each and every week. There are tremendous people who are worthy of admiration and replication. How do we, specifically in the church, recapture and reaffirm the importance of role models?
The power of celebrity must be overcome with one-on-one, knee to knee, face to face communication of love and significance. In this way, the immanent God cuts through the romantic distance of celebrity through flesh and blood parents and mentors. Paradoxically, both students' and adults' desire to maintain a particular image not only covers up a yearning for connection but also prevents it. We must overcome our desire to be cool and to maintain our image if we are to overcome the celebrity image. In our concern for our image we abandon our students to the carefully cultivated celebrity image and the commercial and contrived concern therein. Our detachment is devastating.
If we are to be faithful to God and the next generation, we must not only criticize their unacceptable alternatives, but provide a better way. Students matter to God and we must make them matter to us. We must reject the "do as I say, not as I do" attitude and embrace an incarnational ministry that points out places of fallenness as a place where the Triune God works. We must not be afraid to be stupid and love foolishly for the sake of Jesus Christ. As students come to matter to us, love, leadership, and life-sharing flow from the earth of shared relationship. Role models are made of garbage men, manufacturers, golf players, exterminators, and, every now and again, pastors.