After facing my own teenage years, I can remember the times I began to feel smothered by the worldliness that surrounded me everywhere I turned. Those memories bring to my mind the grace and mercy that the Lord has had upon my life. I remember begging the Lord to forgive me for some of the foolish choices I had made. In light of this, the Lord has given me a great burden to reach out to the youth of our day who are constantly being bombarded by every temptation imaginable. Unfortunately, many of them are giving in, and at very young ages too. You don’t have to look very far in order to see what I am talking about. Just take a trip to your local mall, log on to facebook, or step inside the doors of your very own church. Yes, even the youth in many churches today are participating in shocking and rebellious types of behavior.
Hollywood stars, reality television shows, and nasty tabloids have become the top educators on informing our youth how to dress, who to date, how to talk, and that it’s totally acceptable to indulge in promiscuous behavior before marriage. Our society has fallen into this “use and be used” way of thinking where young men and women treat dating like you would use an empty candy wrapper after the contents inside have been consumed. Sadly, this leaves behind major scars that take many years to heal. The decisions we make early in our adult life will reap many consequences.
Many parents may claim that their child would never take part in such questionable or promiscuous behavior. I have often heard parents make the comment, “You choose your battles.” In other words, they often let the behavior go unaddressed out of fear that they might be pushing their child away, but how does this passivity allow the parent to challenge their child to walk in the fear of the Lord?
God has been so merciful to give me parents who loved me enough to correct me when I was not living in a manner that reflected a life of holiness. I may have resented their discipline at the time, but I can now say I am extremely thankful. If you are a parent, one day your child may thank you for challenging them in love and by God’s grace, that child will take delight in being obedient. Proverbs 22:6 tells us, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
May this be a challenge to all of us! Let us pray for the young people of our day as well as the parents who are raising them.
~Reading List~
Here are some great books that have been a wonderful blessing to me. I think these are excellent books for both teens and young adults.
Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot
Books by Joshua Harris:
I Kissed Dating Goodbye
When Boy Meets Girl
Not Even a Hint
Of Knights and Fair Maidens by Jeff and Danielle Myers
Books by Eric & Leslie Ludy:
When God Writes Your Love Story
When Dreams Come True
Every Young Woman’s Battle: Guarding Your Mind, Heart, and Body in a Sex-Saturated World by Shannon Ethridge, Stephen Arteburn
There is also a book like this for young men...
Every Young Man’s Battle: Strategies for Victory in the real world of Sexual Temptation by Fred Stoeker, Stephen Arteburn, and Mike Yorkey
2 comments:
This really encouraged me today! I came across your blog through a friend of a friend. I think it's essential that we pray for the younger generation. Esp teens through their thirties. So many who grew up in Christian homes are drifting... letting "things" slide here a little and there a little and before they know they are part of the world and one can barely tell the difference except they still label themselves as Christians.
I, too, am grateful for the discipline I received. Did I always appreciate it? No. But I surely do now!
And it's so true, the decisions we make now (I'm 26) will indeed affect us for the rest of our lives.
Thank you, Samantha.
I am so glad that you came across my blog. I have not posted on here for quite some time since I am pretty busy with a new baby.
It is a blessing as well as an encouragement to see that there are still those out there who are passionate to see the younger generation come to Christ.
I am so happy to hear that the Lord has guided you to stay on the path of obedience. His grace is a beautiful thing and we both know without it, we would be lost in utter darkness.
Your comment warmed my heart!
Blessings to you, dear sister :)
~ Hannah
Post a Comment