…WHILE YOU STILL KNOW EVERYTHING!!

This is based on my article in the July 2003 newsletter that I edited back then… For This I have added the Scripture from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, verses 13-15…

Some years ago I saw a poster that said, in big bold letters, TEENAGERS! HURRY! LEAVE HOME TODAY…WHILE YOU STILL KNOW EVERYTHING!  It was one of those things that was intended as a joke but had enough truth in it to stick with you. Because I remember being a teenager…and I DID know everything! Only as the years have stacked up one on top of the other have I come to realize just how much I DON’T know.

       I would like to think that most of us have gained enough experience over the years to realize that we don’t…that we can’t…know everything. Only through the eyes of youth does one feel invincible! Only through the eyes of youth does one feel all-powerful! And only through the eyes of youth does one see all of life’s answers! It is only as we weave our way down our individual life paths that we begin to find chinks in our ‘armor’ of invincibility. We make mistakes…we learn…we try again. We make more mistakes! With each passing year we learn more and more and more. And the more we learn, the more we realize how much there is still to learn. And then, some of us have children of our own…and the process starts all over again!

I recall, on one of our many trips down to Silver Dollar City, sitting down to watch a troupe of girls from Utah doing clog dancing. These girls ranged in age from around twelve to nineteen. And they were very good! Their show consisted of showing some of the different dance steps that came from different areas around the country. They performed Canadian and southern style clogging, danced in wooden shoes from Holland, MI, and performed various Irish line dances, to name just a few. At the end of their program, the announcer came out to sing their praises. And then he added, “Many people seem to be worried about the kids of today’s generation. But if these girls are any indication, I think they’re going to be alright!”

‘And the crowd went wild.’

       But as I was applauding, I couldn’t help but wonder about what he had said. I have worked with a lot of kids over the years, from driving school buses and helping with theatre projects to working with various youth groups through the years. I have taught small groups at what was then called the ‘Youth Annual Retreat’, and been on four mission trips, the one of which I built pretty-much from the ground up. So I feel like I know a little bit about kids. I may not always know how to reach them, but I do know some about how they think and feel—even when they think I don’t have a clue! After all, I do still remember MY teenage years, and not everything that I did then would have been considered ‘Christian’.

       So as I looked at this group of teenage girls and thought about them being on their own for an extended period of time, I couldn’t help but wonder about what kind of example they might actually be setting. Because, the way  they are actually living their lives is determined by the education that they have received up to this point. And frankly, unless that education has been steeped in the Bible, I have strong reservations about their character.

It is very true that most teenagers seem to think that they already know more than their parents. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t want to learn!  Some years back I was at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, MI. and chanced upon an exhibit in the robotics section that looked very familiar. I had approached it from the rear and so didn’t see the sign at first, but I knew it was the main engine and transmission section of a Case tractor being shown with one of the robotic arms that are used to paint them in the factory at Racine! I knew because I had seen them during a tour of the factory many years before That! As I was standing there, a group of high school boys on a school field trip walked up and were trying to figure out what it was and what it did. I told them! And I told them with such excitement and enthusiasm that they actually seemed to listen to me.

We need to be excited and enthusiastic about our faith! We need to be excited and enthusiastic about our God! And we need to be excited and enthusiastic about our youth!

Some decades ago there was a religious sect known as the Shakers. They were well respected for their very firm beliefs and stout enforcement of them, as well as for the strong communities that they established, and the furniture that they built. One of their beliefs was a complete separation of men and women. This even extended to their meeting places. There were two doors, one for the men and one for the ladies, and they sat on opposite sides of the room. They’re not around anymore. They all died off! They never had any children to teach and train to follow in their footsteps. And, if we are not careful, the same exact thing will happen to us! Not because we didn’t have children, but because we failed to bring them into the church. We failed to bring them into the arms of Jesus!

I put it to you that we, as parents, have more of an obligation to our children than just raising them. We have an obligation to raise them with a firm background and belief in the Lord! And furthermore, I put it to you that that obligation extends beyond just our own children…it includes grandchildren, nieces and nephews, neighbors and friends. In short, it is our obligation to see to it that ALL children are raised with a firm background and belief in the Lord!

If the day comes that sees us alone…if the day comes that we have no one to help us…if the day comes that we see our church buildings empty, and God’s word not being taught…then we have no one to blame but ourselves. Because it is our responsibility to bring in and educate the next generation…and the next…and the one after that…in the way of the Lord! It is our responsibility to see to it that that education IS steeped in the Bible, and that the lives that they live reflect that. And is ALSO our responsibility to see to it that they pass that education on to THEIR children!

And you know what? Once you get started, it’s really a lot of fun!!