This Sunday evening we will be holding a prayer service for the son (21 years old) of a woman in our church. Monday will be the funeral service. Sunday is also Mother's Day. This is a horrible juxtaposition. It grieves me. The difficulty is magnified by how the young man was living. His lifestyle was outside of safety and wisdom. His way of living was certainly not of a fashion that would make his untimely death in a car accident a shock. And clearly he was a nice young man who knew inside the truth about Christ and about life with Christ, but it would be a long shot to say that the reality of Jesus was affecting his life.
As I write I am thinking of all the kids I know who assume they will have time to "turn around" and who believe in their heart that the direction they are currently headed is temporary. They believe they are just "livin on the edge," for a while. And they seem to have full intention to settle down someday. I hope they do.
I am also wondering why we expect kids to do this? I know it seems to be a truth, kids need to "sow their wild oats." but I don't like it. The idea that kids have to wander and to "experiment" does not ring true in my heart. And to be honest it bothers me that so many expect this.
I am not sure what the answer is to all of this. But it makes me wonder what would happen if our faith was more real, more adventurous, more Biblical, more edgy, and less safe and staid if more young people would live passionately toward Christ. I don't know. But I do know that I am bothered by the expectation that young people need a prodigal time.
Posts
Hello, Paul!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your posting and have a nice weekend.
I have worked with kids for years. It's not so much that I expect young people to have a "prodigal time" but more like they do. I see it not as a prodigal but more like a stretching--of themselves, of their faith, and yes, of the limits. Instead of listening to and following what parents tell them, their need for independence drives them to question and struggle and experiment and wander in a desperate attempt to find truth.
ReplyDeleteDo all young people do this? No, but in all the years I've interacted with teens, I can probably count on two hands the number who haven't, at some point, questioned and strayed and strained at the boundaries.
Not all, unfortunately, return. That's what I see as the problem. That's where I agree with you. We need to make our faith more real and desirous and authentic that it entices young people to question, strain and struggle without the wandering.
Nice thoughts.
Zygwriter
David,
ReplyDeletewelcome to Spotlights...and the coffee table. Are you writing from Portugal? Blessings on you as well!
PFK
I like to put my two cents in often, so here it is:
ReplyDeleteI heard a sermon once and during the message the pastor said, "keep your finger on the scripture". Basically what that line meant was to always be looking to the scriptures for our answers, never keep our fingers off of the Word of God.
So when I think of a prodigal time, where in the scriptures is it? I find from numerous passages, obedience leading to blessing, and that being a promise. Now blessing may not be a blessing in how the world looks at it, but you know what I mean. And there is no, "Well kids have a prodigal time and that is just the way it is". It's more like a direct shot at "raising kids" and the responsibility that goes with that as parents. With that, two thoughts come to my head:
1- We are all sinners and I can clearly see how the sins of my parents (divorced, etc) led to my prodigal time. I was still responsible no doubt, but I wasn't very guided. And the few that I and Eileen can think of, well the ones that I can think of anyway that had a "lesser" prodigal time, it was all because of the parents and the parents were the way they were because of obedience to Jesus Christ.
2. The second thought that comes to my mind is I am a young parent and how scary it can be to think of my responsibility. I can see how my sins early in my marriage and pre-marriage are effecting our parenting today. I also wonder and pray that my daughters will be raised with a lesser "prodigal time". That they wouldn't stray like my wife and I did during middle/high school, even into college.
This is a tough one and my prayers are with the family and all parents for that matter. Like James Dobson says, it all starts with the families (or lack there of) in our culture. That's how God created it.