Life: Where will they be when they are 25?

I'm a volunteer with the youth group at my church. It is a joy to spend time with young people doing fun things. Recently, we went roller skating which was a first for me! We also went indoor rock climbing last year, also a first for me. It is also a joy to spend time with them doing "serious" things like study the Bible and talk about what it means to follow Jesus.

The other day during a time of reflection (I'm an introvert so that kind of comes naturally!) I found myself stepping back from the trees to try to see the forrest.

I thought about my young friends and asked, what will they be like when they are 25?

I pondered what I hoped I would see if I ran into them 10+ years from now and asked them, hey, fill me in on your life since youth group!

What would they say ... ?

I'd hear them describe their lives such that it is clear that they are living out Christianity; that Christianity would be a verb for them. From their description, of what they do and their life choices, they would be exhibiting the seven great virtues: faith, hope, love, prudence, temperance, justice and courage. In short that all our teaching and modeling of the moral relevance of Jesus had stuck with them.

I'd hear them articulate their faith with clarity and conviction. It would be so super to find out that not only did they get that Jesus changed their life but that they can also describe the Jesus they follow accurately with passion. Simply put, they would have grabbed onto the fullness of who Jesus is and his theological significance.

I'd hear them share that they are married to a fellow believer. And if they aren't married, I'd hear that they are making wise choices about their dating life.

I'd hear that they are making a contribution to society through their work. All work done for Jesus is honorable work. As a molecular biologist, I'd would enjoy talking to a young person who went into the sciences. But I'd be equally pleased to hear that he or she is a dedicated school teacher, a compassionate nurse, a excellent contractor, a courageous firefighter or a devoted home maker.

Between now and that dream of what they would be at 25 are many obstacles. How many young people get tripped up because they make poor choices in regards to friends they hang out with? How many young people flounder in college when they get exposed to atheism, naturalism, agnosticism and a whole slew of other -isms that tell them there is no god and that all that Jesus stuff you got taught is a bunch of baloney? How many of our young people will stumble due to their dating decisions? How many will get confused and discouraged in their educational and vocational path?

I need to pray for my young friends with more constancy and fervor. I need to be faithful to do my best in what role I have in their lives. I need to commit them to the Good Shepherd and to work with my fellow volunteers to help feed and lead them by word and deed.