Feeling Empowered?

Now that we are parents, we have started getting into reading some of the "Parenting" books. After all, we have no clue how to raise a little baby - we've never done it before. Our stress level increases as we think about our little girl becoming a teenager because we don't know what society will be like when she gets there. What issues will she face? What decisions will she make? How will we react as parents?

Right now we are reading a book called "Right of Passage Parenting" by Walker Moore. Part of his book deals with the fact that teenagers now a days are living in a society that has created a bunch of confusion for them in regards to what their role is & where they fit in. Moore says that as a result, teenagers are taking longer to find their independence and confidence.

As a result of this slower establishment of independence & confidence, adults sometimes don't take teenagers as seriously as maybe they should, they may not give teenagers responsibility because they don't think that they can handle it and adults may even treat teenagers like children. In further discussing this, Moore addresses the following passage of scripture:

1 Timothy 4:12

"Do not let anyone treat you as if you are unimportant because you are young. Instead, be an example to the believers with your words, your actions, your love, your faith and your pure life."

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1st Timothy tells you not to let anyone treat you as unimportant because you are young. YOU ARE IMPORTANT!!! What you have to say is important! Young people have been the ones to change the world in the past! Why can't you change the world now as well? You should be treated with respect and you are important no matter what your age! Having said that... look at the passage again... after telling you that you are important, the passage goes on to say that you (in order to receive that importance and respect) must be an example to the believers (i.e. adults).

How are you to be an example? This weeks devos will focus on the 5 points referenced in this passage as discussed by Walker Moore in his book above. We will be discussing each one separately every day this week.

#1 - Words

The first way you should be an example is through your words. When little children talk, they talk as... well... little children. We find it cute that babies coo, gurgle, and eventually say dada or mama and utter their first words. What would happen if one of your friends tried talking to you by gurgling or cooing? Or what if they started talking like a 3 year old? You would probably laugh at them and tell them to grow up!

The funny thing is that as teenagers and young adults we have lost our ability to have actual conversations with each other. We have lost the ability to speak. In today's society we spend more time in front of a computer (Facebook, MSN, Twitter, email, Blackberry) or television than outside actually talking to people. Something has even been developed that Moore calls "teenspeak". "Teenspeak" is the talking and text messaging that occurs (mainly between teens) in an ever changing code. LOL! ROTFL! FYI! IMO! CU! There are many more but I'm sure you catch my drift. Subgroups of teenagers and young adults even change the meaning of the code words, creating an inner circle and alienating other people.

It seems at times that adults don't give teenagers respect nor take what they have to say seriously. As a result, teenagers sometimes feel like they have to create something that adults don't understand to empower themselves and to give themselves some type of control. Hence using these types of "codes" that most adults don't understand.

Is this the type of control you feel you need in order to get respect or feel important? Or is this the way you feel empowered? Being a part or creating something that adults don't understand? Let us know what you think about the points above. Tomorrow we will take a look at how Jesus, when he was a teenager, empowered Himself and gained the respect of those around him with his words and his actions.