Think of a time you were around a group of small children. How were they behaving? What were your reactions to them?
Now, think of a time you were around a group of teenagers. How were they behaving? What were your reactions to them?
Do you ever feel suspicious, annoyed, or frustrated with teenagers? Despite my heart toward youth and history working with them as a youth leader and educator, I sometimes have a less-than-positive reaction to teens, especially when I don’t know or have personal connection to them.
Now, we all know Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children” (Matthew 19:14 NLT). Would Jesus have said the same for teenagers? ;) Would we say the same, when they’re no longer cute toddlers with funny pronunciations who look up to adults? How do we feel when they skateboard, swear, and sag their britches where we’d hoped to have a nice quiet chat with someone (a recent experience)? Or how about when they talk back, defy a command, or just simply leave a wake of trash?
Teens can give off an annoying air of confidence, as if they already run the world, and we older generations better move aside. Each new generation starts new styles of speech, clothing, and music, decrying the old. But they need us, and want us, more than we know. Most of all, they need us to share the good news of Jesus with them, our personal stories of how the gospel has been at work in our lives.
“We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children” (Psalm 78:4-7 NLT).
People learn best from those they feel love them. And as I learned in Creative Writing class, Show, don’t tell. We best tell the story by means of showing its truth, in love, to the next generation.
Will you join me in asking God,
How can I show Jesus and his love to the next generation?
How can I personally help them trust in the Lord?
Please join me in praying aloud this rephrasing of Isaiah 40:28–31 (NLT) over the next generation; I encourage you to picture teens you know and even insert their names.
Lord, you are the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. You never grow weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of your understanding. You give power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
May we, and they, “pass the story down from generation to generation” (Joel 1:3b).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ruth Happ currently lives in Southern California with her husband Ricky, four kids (including two teens), a dog, and a cat. They joined Novo’s reFocusing Team in 2020, with Ruth serving as Director of Next Generation. Now, Ruth is transitioning into a role within Resource Teams to help coach and equip missionaries and the next generation of leaders. She looks forward to creative collaboration with others to “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness” and bring His good news to all people, including those “cringey” teenagers of the world. :)