Young People Today

I had a wonderful experience this past Saturday with a teen-ager that I'd mentored in the past. We had not been in touch for a while and he asked to meet me for coffee. He said he needed help.

I have to confess that I was expecting to hear that the wheels had come off his life and that he was ready to give up on God. I figured I'd have to exhort with Scripture and do my usually routine to try and get someone back on track.

I was very wrong. In fact I was so wrong that I realized I sometimes sell God --- and His people --- short. God forgive me for that. This young man's spiritual life is very much on track. He totally gets who God is and, even more importantly, gets who he is in Christ. His walk with the Lord, at 18, is humbling for an old fart like me.

I have to give thanks to God for allowing me to participate in His great work in this young man. I think I understand what Paul meant when we would write in his letters how much joy he had when he heard that other Christians were doing well and growing in their faith. It gives me joy as well.

I wonder if the generations are really different, or if our perceptions of them are just what's different. I remember when I was a teen-ager, about to graduate from high school. My mother had often told me how smart I was and how much she loved me. But she and my step-father went overboard telling me how foolish I was and how the decisions I made were full of folly.

I can close my eyes and hear their words even now. They would always start their tirade with something like, "The problem with young people today ..." I can admit that most of the time I just tuned them out. It was as if I made a decision that whatever they had to say on the subject was just irrelevant. I'm not sure I made that conscious choice, but am probably responsible for my lack of listening skills nonetheless.

Did they have a point? Was it an important point? I guess we'll never know for sure. But I have to tell you that the young people I see today often look very different than the young people that my parents apparently saw. I don't think I could start any statement with, "The problem with young people today ..." On the contrary, perhaps the problem with young people today is really the old people that are raising them, mentoring them, etc. Or maybe the problem with young people today is really the old people that aren't raising them, aren't mentoring them, and aren't really listening to them or giving them a chance.

The young people that I see today exhibit two common themes. The first one is their brokenness. They are very wounded. Life has already been very cruel to many of them. Their parents and others have given them so incredible emotional hurts. Their lack of training and mentoring has left them with no foundation with which to deal with their own issues. So they are lost, and will probably drown if someone doesn't wade into their messy lives and help them out.

The second thing is their sincerity. They sincerely want to get life right. I see more and more of them investing themselves in pursuits of God, better relationships, etc. I see teen-agers who pray for their parents. Do parents understand that this happens right under their own roof? Would it matter to a parent to know that his or her teen-ager is praying for them? (I suspect it would!)

The young people today give me hope for a better tomorrow. I know what the Bible says about the end times. The world will just get more sinful as time goes on. What leaves me still feeling optimistic is that the exceptions which stand out are getting more exemplary as well. So while the world rots into eternal decay, God seems to be raising up a new generation of people who will fight that rot. And as time goes on, they will be more and more remarkable. How lucky we are to know these remarkable people!