We, as the church, are supposed to be different, no? Romans 12:2 says, "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." To me, that says that our lives should look different from those of non-believers. Well, I don't know about you, but I have seen a lot of Christians' lives looking an awful lot like the rest of the world.
Let's get one thing straight, I am NOT perfect. Nor do I claim to be. I
At one point in my life, I lived just like the world...because I was still in the world. I hadn't met Jesus yet. At a different point, after I had met Jesus, my life looked an awful lot like the world. God shook me down to my foundation and rebuilt me with Him as my center. Does that make me perfect? Heck no! Does that mean I have all the answers? Ha! No way! What it does mean is that He shows me His grace...daily. Something that I certainly could not live without.
Many of you may know that I have a burden for the youth. You see, I made some really dumb mistakes as a youth and I went through some things that no one should have to go through. And God has shown me that I can help this next generation with my testimony...my mistakes, my trials, my hardships. What hurts my heart the most is to see a student at church living one way, and then see them outside of the church and not recognize them. To see that they are living two different lives. I always tell the students I work with that if I were to go to their school, they should be the same person they are at church...and at home.
The problem I'm seeing is that young people, girls especially, are changing who they are in order to fit in. Changing the way they dress, the music they listen to, the words they speak, the things they do or don't do, and who they hang out with. "This person thinks it's OK to dress immodestly, so I think I will dress this way when I'm around them." "This person listens to this questionable music, so I will too when I'm around them." "This person says he will love me if I just have sex with him, so in order to feel that love, I will." "This person uses foul language, so I will, but only around them."
The problem with this sort of behavior/thinking is that you can't turn it off. Maybe at the beginning you can moderate what you say/do around who, but eventually, it will consume you. It's like throwing a rotten apple into a good bunch and expecting them to stay good. It will consume you...trust me on this. I've been there.
OK, so what can we do?
1) Well, I, as a parent, know that I need to teach my girls why they should be different from the world...not just that they should. Sure, for a while they might just do what I say because I'm mom and that's what they are supposed to do, but once they get to the point where they need to figure things out for themselves, they need to know the answer to the 'whys'. It's my job to make sure that foundation is there.
2) Pray! I know it sounds cliche, but prayer is powerful. There are few things more powerful than the prayer of a parent for his/her child(ren)
3) Set the example. This is a big one. Our kids, and other young people that look up to us, are watching to see if the way we live our lives matches the way we speak. Are you the same person everywhere you go? Do you read your Bible daily? Do you talk to God daily? If the answer to any of these is no, then you need to work on yourself before you can fix anyone else.
4) Don't judge. If you see that a young person has stumbled and made mistakes, don't judge them...love them. Love is what will repair the damage that has been done. God is love. Love them like He does.
Think about it...
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