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| REST STOP #4: Be All That You Can Be Have you ever gone shopping with a teenager? Have you ever talked to a teen about his dream car? Have you ever listened to a girl talk about the boy she’d give anything to have on a date? Underneath the search for the clothes, car, and guy who are “just right” is the search for significance. And in that search is the desire to be more, have more, live more. Our Western culture clamors to provide the end of this search.. The media bombard us with the notions that sex brings fulfillment, violence solves problems, and winning is everything. Advertisers demonstrate how the right shampoo will get you the guy, the right car will get you the girl, and the right clothes will make you desirable. Politicians promise “the world” to teens at the expense of the rest of the world, and schools push students to compete in order to be deemed “successful.” And of course the military promises “Be all that you can be.” Look at these promises from the viewpoint of a teenager. Who wouldn’t want sexual fulfillment? Who wouldn’t want to win? Who wouldn’t want the guy or girl of their dreams? Who wouldn’t want to be successful? Who, in the search for self, wouldn’t want to be all that he or she cHow can the church compete with the millions of dollars spent on such promises? How can we communicate our message with the glitz of the Internet? How can we sell what God has to offer? We can’t. What we have to offer our youth is a God who loves them unconditionally, a community of faith who will stand by them, and a body of believers who will take interest in each one of them. We offer them significance as favored, beloved, blessed children of God. We offer them our patience. We offer them the opportunity to be all that they can be—loving expressions of God’s love in the world. It’s the least—and the most—we can do. |
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