Sold-Out pt. 1: Meri

Since I started my internship four weeks ago, I decided to do something new on my blog. This series over the next four weeks will be called “Sold-Out.” My degree is in youth ministry, and I primarily work with the youth group for my internship, focusing mostly on the middle and high school girls. I have wanted to find ways to integrate my personal life with my work/academic life, and I thought this series would be a really great start. So, for this series, I will interview several girls in my youth group about their journeys in school, relationship with God, and get their perspective on what it means to be “sold out” for Jesus.

Meet Meri:

Meri is currently a junior in high school. I have been blessed to know Meri since she was a baby, and she is one of the most precious girls in my life – truly a little sister to me. I have been able to watch her grow up and into her relationship with Christ, and I have loved seeing and being a part of that journey. Everyone who knows Meri is blessed. She is a deep-feeler with one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know.

She’s happiest when she gets to hear someone genuinely laugh or see them smile, because “You can tell when it’s real and when someone is just putting on a front. But when it’s real, it almost seems like it’s so rare. It’s surreal and it’s vulnerable.” To her, ministry is her art, but it’s also when God uses her when she volunteers in the Children’s Ministry, the Three Nails Project, and in her youth group.

Meri is quite the overachiever, and if you know anything about her and the DISC profile assessment, it’s easy to see the high “S” in her. She is a steady and hard worker, especially when she is interested in the topic. She is currently taking dual credit U.S. History, Precalculus and Trigonometry, Strength Training, Anatomy, Advanced 2D Art 2, and a dual credit English course. She also is taking a study hall – “Thankfully; I need a break during the day, so I like to just chill and watch Netflix in that class.” She works as a swim coach 3 days a week and is also on her swim team at school. In her free time, Meri loves to listen to music and enjoys watching Parks and Rec and Friends (definitely two of the greatest shows of all time). She wants to go to college to study animation, including 3D, 2D, traditional, and digital animation.

I asked Meri about the first time she remembers accepting Jesus into her life. She said, “I remember the very night it happened. Christmas Eve, 2006. We were having service in “big church,” and I remember looking at my mom and deciding it was time. I was also baptized when I was seven. I remember very clearly not being able to sit still and was pacing back and forth with anticipation. [It was the night] I accepted Jesus to be my forever friend.”

When I asked Meri if she could recall a specific moment in her life that she knew Jesus had orchestrated, she responded, “Over the summer my ex and I broke up. We had met a church camp the summer before, and it was about two weeks before [we went back] when we decided to call it off. I really did not want to go after that, [and] the only reason that I went was because we had already paid. I was not looking forward to seeing him there, and so soon, but I went anyways. In the middle of the night, one of the girls in my cabin started having a panic attack. She hadn’t had enough [panic attacks] to know how to calm herself down, and that scared her even more. I myself struggle with anxiety, and [I] have my whole life. God used me in this situation to help her, calm her down, and give her some comfort and tips for when it happened again. I was prepared for myself to have an attack, so I let her use some of my tips and tricks, and she ended up coming to me with questions she had and [when] she didn’t think she could calm herself. If I hadn’t gone to camp, then I wouldn’t have been able to help her. No one would have; out of the 13 girls that were there, I was the only one who had struggled with panic attacks regularly enough [to help]. After I had helped her, some of the other girls came up to me, asking me questions about how to ground people and help them, for themselves or for other people they know. I am so thankful that I ended up going to camp that summer. I ended up learning a lot more about the people I had grown up with and made many new friends."

Meri’s favorite Scripture – Deuteronomy 1:21 – has helped her a lot with her struggles with anxiety. “It says, ‘Do not be afraid, do not worry.’ Every time I worry, I think of that verse, [and] I write it down until I can’t forget. It reminds me that God is always there, and I don’t have to worry about anything. I still [worry], but it’s a way for me to remember that God loves me and I live for Him.”

For the Sold-Out part of the interview, I asked Meri, ‘Why do you think it is so difficult to live sold-out for Jesus?’ She answered, “In this world, you try so hard, and things still don’t work out, [so] it’s easy to get discouraged, to be negative, and to be apathetic.” She also said, in regards to the most important part of being a sold-out disciple, “It’s one thing to say that you follow God, and it’s another thing to show it. The famous saying that ‘actions speak louder than words’ is so true. You aren’t just supposed to say that you are a Christ follower, you need to show it. Not only does it help you grow in your relationship with God, but it helps others see that you are different, introduces Him to them, and helps them learn to grow too.”

Through taking so many youth ministry courses, I’ve been disheartened by learning the statistics on how many young Christians leave the church after they graduate high school. I asked Meri her perspective on why she thought this happens, and she responded, “I think people get comfortable with their church. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but when someone becomes too comfortable, then leaves home, it can be very difficult to find another place where you feel that comfortable. Life gets in the way. Classes take up time. Sleep is more valuable. People make excuses to not become vulnerable again, to not have to socialize, and/or to not be uncomfortable."

The last few questions I asked Meri had to do with her generation, how she would like to influence her generation, and how she wishes other people viewed her generation.

I asked, ‘What is one element you would like to include if you were a youth pastor or youth leader?’ She responded, “Security. I would want it to be a safe place for them to talk about what they need to, vent if they need to, [and] I would want them to want to talk to me about the things that are hard. I’d want them to make deep connections with others that way, too. Security is very important.”

When I asked Meri about an assumption of her generation she wishes she could change, she answered, “That we’re self-involved. Yes, some are like that, but that’s the minority. Just because we have grown up with the internet and smart phones [and] all the access to the things we have, [it] does not make us self-obsessed. Some of the kindest, selfless, most generous and genuine people I know have come from my generation. Many of us have open minds and hearts. It is much easier for us to accept others than it could be for other generations.” Side note: this was one of my favorite answers that Meri gave. It is definitely something I have noticed of her generation. They are much better at including others than the generations before them.

When I asked Meri if there was one thing she wishes she could tell her past self, she said, “Don’t worry about every little thing. That math test doesn’t matter. That blemish on your face – no one is going to notice. Come out of your shell a bit more; there are so many nice people out there for you to meet. Don’t obsess about your weight; you are perfectly normal.”

My last question for Meri was, ‘What is one piece of advice that you want to give to those who are younger than you?’ She thoughtfully responded, “Essentially the same thing I would tell my past self. Also, be involved. Be in a club, or a sport. That’s where you will find your people. Wear what you are comfortable in; people don’t care. And about that weight thing – if you end up deciding you want to lose weight, please do your research, be smart about it, talk to your doctor or your parents, let your friends know know, [and] be safe about it. There are people who care about you.”

I am so thankful for who Meri is, and the influence she has on others. Meri is so kind, compassionate, and tender-hearted. She has a world-changing attitude and is already doing so many incredible things for the Kingdom of God. Her interview further showed just how sold-out she is for Jesus. Anyone who knows Meri is truly blessed, and I have been so thankful to be a part of her life, and honored to have her as a part of mine.

Disclaimer: parents were contacted first and gave permission for their daughters to be used in these interviews. Some names and other identifying information may be changed to protect the privacy of these students.