I have dared to dream big dreams and have seen the little seedlings begin to
grow. I have stepped out of my comfort zone – WAY out of my comfort zone – and have found that it was not as scary as I would have anticipated. I have
breathed fresh air into my lungs. I have sung a new song with a new voice.
Things which were dead have been awakened in me. I have stretched my hands and found that they reach farther than I imagined. I have loved with open arms and have found that open arms were waiting to greet me. And I have looked into the face of God and realized how deeply He treasures me.
One of the gifts that I have been given by this gracious God of mine, is the gift of youth. Not that I am young – for the body of aches and pains that I carry would belie that fact. But it is the gift of the young around me. Many of the people in my world these days are under the age of 25. I am continuously blessed by their wit, and their courage, and their creativity. But I am most deeply moved by their passion to grow and find pleasure in the things of God.
We often overlook these young ones because we are offered up a plethora of images that portray youth as arrogant, unmotivated, angry, and rebellious. Quite honestly we should not overlook these young either for they need direction and encouragement and love as well. BUT – we must not “throw the baby out with the bath water” as they say.
I may step on some toes here. I hope to do so graciously – as a dancer learning her moves. But if it hurts a little – I apologize. I am a passionate person myself and it is hard for me to keep from dancing with gusto.
There is a space in time when our young people come “of age”. And in that space, we often hand them over to adulthood as a rite of passage. We lose sight of the person and begin to let life take its course. I am not talking about trying to hold on to our youth with both hands keeping them from their future. I am talking about moving from a position of carrying them, to walking alongside them as they “become”.
In education – we send them off to college, often without a real destination at the end of their studies. In many ways our system is set up to push them toward this next step. If they don’t leave for college right away – they lose their hard-earned scholarships. I understand that we are trying to help them keep up the momentum they have gained. But if we look at the individual – we may see that God has a totally different plan for their lives. And isn’t His plan the one we want them to follow?
In our culture – we tell them they should get a high-paying, security-driven job, get married, have children, buy a house and a mini-van, and live happily ever-after. But do we ever really wish that God would take them and move them to the border of a war-torn country and help people cross to their freedom? Do we beg God to take them to an orphanage in the middle of Africa or Guatemala or Afghanistan and let them love people to Jesus?
In our churches – we tell them that they are too old to attend youth group rather than putting a hand on their shoulder asking if we can walk with them as they navigate this time of reflection and anticipation. We act as though they are still children without a voice, without a calling, without a purpose. And often it is the passion of the youth that would propel us forward if we could hear and guide and harness it. I did not say squelch it. Harnessing is not for keeping the horse from moving – it is for helping the horse carry the load and for keeping it going in the right direction.
I enjoy my life. I get to hang out with some young people and hear their hearts, their hopes, and their dreams. I cannot do anything to make their lives easier or smoother. They still have all of the same challenges we did when we were young. But I hope that it helps to know that someone is listening, and hearing, and caring.
And there are benefits for me in being with them as well. I am inspired by the young in my life. I am amazed by the young in my life. I am stretched by the young in my life. I am encouraged by the young in my life. Here are three examples from yesterday – JUST yesterday.
I wake up early every Saturday to go to the Proskuneo School of the Arts. I am not teaching this semester. I am just going to be in the space. Why? Because I love the energy of these students who are hungry to learn anything that we will teach. And because I am afraid that if I am not there I will miss out on learning something from them!
I have several new friends from Burma who have been teaching me their language. One of them is a songwriter and he asked if I would sing a song that he had written in his language. I have done this once before – at the school of the arts – in front of people that I knew. But last night he wanted me to sing in front of a gymnasium full of people who speak this language. I won’t tell you that I didn’t hesitate. I can’t tell you that there were not moments when I wanted to say no. But he was truly pulling me out of myself and toward a God-moment. So I did it. And I had fun. And I am pretty sure that God was accomplishing things in that room that I could not even see. I know He was at work in me.
And yesterday afternoon one of my young friends handed me a gift. It was the small card that is the picture on this page. One day we had a conversation and I told her that when I was a teenager I used to sit outside for hours and draw trees. I don’t consider myself an artist, but I remember enjoying those times. So she gave an “assignment”. This morning I went outside and I drew a tree. I still don’t consider myself an artist, but if I don’t take the moments to be creative I will dry up and become old. And that is not an option.
And that was just yesterday. Don’t miss an opportunity to be inspired by someone who is young. Don’t rob them of the privilege of being inspired by you.