Mature Young Men

I saw an interesting demonstration today on how young men develop. It was a function of our Sacrament meeting at church today.

[Allow me to interrupt for a moment and provide some quick lessons on LDS meetings and practices for my blog readers who are not familiar with them. #1 The Sacrament is administered by teenage young men. The 14/15 year olds prepare it before church, the 16-18 year olds administer the prayers to bless the bread and water, and the 12/13 year olds pass it to the congregation. #2 In lieu of a preacher who delivers a sermon each week, the speakers for each Sunday meeting are members of the congregation. #3 Many young men choose to serve a volunteer mission for the church at the age of 19. They serve in some location away from home and family for a total of 2 years which means they return at the age of 21.]

We had an unusually large congregation at church today. One of the speakers was a young man who's leaving this week to serve a Spanish-speaking mission in Portland. Another speaker was a young man who just returned this last week from a mission in California. They both had a ton of family and friends in attendance. The number of people attending was 1 1/2 to 2 times what we normally see.

It was interesting to sit back and watch the young 12/13 year old boys passing the sacrament. They were clearly facing an unusual situation. They handled it beautifully. There were no adults telling them what to do, they were well prepared, and they managed the large crowds very well. I couldn't help but think how neat it was to see these boys showing leadership and maturity when so often we simply don't expect that kind of maturity from 12 year olds.

The first speaker today was a 15 year old boy who spoke about the importance to each of us to read and study the scriptures. He did an impressive job at public speaking (before a large crowd), and he had solid, interesting information to present. Again, it's not exactly what the rest of the world sees in 15 year olds.

The next speaker was the 19 year old leaving on a mission. He was a little awkward at times, but he was very sincere. He joked a little with his friends who were there to support him. He taught some doctrine by making a reference to a scene from the movie 'Avatar.' But he spoke of his excitement to go help other people for the next 2 years. What an awesome commitment from a 19 year old. I know that's not what many boys his age are thinking of.

The final speaker was the 21 year old young man who just returned from a mission. He was articulate and he spoke with conviction. With all due respect to the 19 year old who had just spoken, he showed how much growth he had experienced in the last 2 years. And he still had all his friends there waiting to welcome him home. They hadn't all gone off and left him while he was gone. He was happy he'd gone and happy to be home.

Essentially, in one hour's time, I was able to see the life cycle of an LDS teenage boy. It was so fun to see. There was a huge difference between the 12 year olds and the 21 year old. And you could see the landmarks with each boy of a different age. But each age group had their strengths, and they showed how much young people are capable of if we just believe in them and give them a chance. When we expect that they can take on responsibilities and that they can be leaders, they respond to that. I see it in those I don't know as well, and I see it in my own son. And yet, they all bring their own age-appropriate awkwardness, quirkiness, and fun to what they are doing as well. It was good to see it all around.

Thanks, boys, for showing me such an awesome display today!