Regarding Youth

Originally published in The Global Voice, Volume 13: Issue 2, February 2015. You can read the whole edition here.

Young people have a lot of energy. It’s wonderful. They won’t have it forever. It will soon be tamed by the responsibilities that come with growing up, and a body that aches for more attention.

How often have we said, “If I was your age…” or “If I had the energy…” or “If I had the time, then I would…”? The biblical principle to love our neighbor as ourselves makes us consider young people, and how we could help them learn, do, and accomplish what we would have liked to.

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despite you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

As a youth, this text encouraged me to be responsible for my speech and conduct, to make sure it was pure, out of love, and in faith; this would make me an exemplary youth.

As an adult the message no longer speaks to me directly, but nonetheless makes me responsible to ensure its expectations are fulfilled. So when I look at energetic youth who, without guidance, can use that energy, combined with spare time, to even cause trouble, I won’t despise them for it.

Instead, we should feel the responsibility to create an environment where such youthful energy can be used to produce healthy speech and conduct, that is pure, out of love, and in faith; to make them exemplary youth.

Enjoy the contents of this newsletter where we share with you how we are offering a venue to do this for our youth. God Bless you!