A Glimpse into Our Future
July 13, 2009
The Future
There’s little question that our future lies in the hands of our children. For the most part, this makes people nervous, and if you spend very much time watching the news or reading the paper it’s easy to see why.
They’re constantly given monikers like “Generation Me” and we hear of their selfish shortsightedness. Stories constantly run about their inability to see past themselves and put in a hard day’s work thinking about something other than how their efforts affect them.
But to the cacophony of negativity I want to take the opportunity to give a shout of praise.
I just spent a week with about 1100 kids from the ages of 14 to 18 and another approximately 160 20+ olds who work as counselors to the 14 to 18 year olds.
These kids were anything but selfish or self-serving. They were kind, and beautiful, and full of light. They want nothing more than to be good, to help, and to do what is right.
They’re still kids–and full of all the squirrely impulses and ideas that kids have been dealing with for hundreds of years. But, even that makes them special and wonderful. For, it reassures us that all the great things about being a kid are still healthy and alive.
Don’t kid yourselves either. These young people deal and struggle with things you and I could of never even imagined in the wildest dreams of our youth. Yet they meet these struggles and temptations head-on and overcome them with a grace and joy that is second to none.
I wish I could package up the experience I had this past week and ship it off across the world, so everyone could open it and see what I was able to see, feel what I was able to feel, and know what I know about the good kids of today.
The Best Ever
Just like every bushel is always a few bad apples. But these kids showed me that, although the vocal minority gets all the attention, and the vocal minority gets simply brushed over, the whole bunch still doing just fine.
I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I can’t wait to see what these kids can do. I’m grateful for the example that they already set for my son. And, on this day it’s difficult for me not to look at my little boy and wonder what wonders lay before him.
Jh-
Kolette pointed me in this direction, and I’m so glad she did. I wish that you wrote for the newspaper, or had a show on CNN. If you did perhaps the general public would have a little more realistic view of the younger generation than they do. You and Kolette spend a week with 1100 young people who are doing all the right things, but you don’t hear anything about it. Instead the news is full of reports of vandalism, truancy and teen pregnancy by a hand full of kids. A bunch of teenagers getting together having fun and thinking of ways to make the world a better place just isn’t sensational enough to make the news these days. I have an 18 year old and a 15 year old though, and I’ve spent lots of time with them and their friends at home, school, sports events etc, and I can tell you that most teenagers today are doing just that. This is a generation of good kids. Kids who are smart, resourceful, energetic and confident. In spite of the stresses and temptations they face they remain confident of their future and I for one admire them. I look at my kids and their friends and am amazed at their compassion and spirit. They are amazing.
Brother Hall,
I left a comment on Sister Hall’s blog before learning that you had your own. I was one of the youth who attended this session of EFY last week. I am so glad for the opportunity thank you for giving such wonderful devotionals and reminding me that I am a daughter of God. You have inspired me, and I wanted to let you know how much my testimony grew over the last week.I’m so grateful that my first time at EFY was the “best EFY in the history of the world ever!” I wish it could have lasted longer.
With love and appreciation,
Sarah Barrus (from the company Dig A Pit)