So I have been thinking a lot lately about our society/culture, and how the maturity rates of students especially in elementary seem very low compared to 3rd world countries. I started with the mind set of WOW, our kids are blessed to not have to grow up so fast and are able to be kids, but then I started thinking... YES they are blessed, but are we not allowing them to reach their full potential? Think about these few things.
Mary in the Bible was around the age of 12 when she became pregnant with Jesus.
The disciples were young teenagers.
We have been told several times to not back down because we are young. (1 Tim. 4:12, Jeremiah 1)
Jesus wasn't afraid to use the youth, why are we? Why don't we let them live up to all they can be, instead we tell them they are to young to do_______. God didn't think Mary was to young at the age of 12 (around 12) to carry his son, to deal with the pain of not being married, to raise the Savior. God uses the weak, meek, selfless, to reach the masses.
So what if, just what if we learned something from the 3rd world countries who allow their kids to do all they can do, to help raise the family, and to be a benefit to society rather than an outcast.
Let me know your thoughts...
Good thoughts, though I think there's definitely a balance to the whole thing. Doing adult things (such as taking care of a family) doesn't necessarily make you an adult. Take notice of some of the child-headed households in Africa, where both of the parents have died from AIDS. Is that 12 year old taking care of his or her younger siblings grown up? Should he or she be? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteThe bigger issue in our culture is not that we grow up too late; it's that many people NEVER really grow up. How many adults still act like children, just in more sophisticated ways? We don't have anything built-in culturally to signify the passing from childhood to adulthood (other than, say, getting your driver's license or going out to get drunk on your 21st birthday.)Probably finishing your education and starting a full-time job is the closest we have to a passing of the torch into adulthood, but when does that happen? After High School? For some, but most people will at least attempt to go on to college. College? But what if you drop out? Or what if you keep going on? If you go to college for extra years to get a Masters are you not an adult until you graduate at 26?
Jesus himself probably started a full-time job smewhere in his teens, as his earthly dad is never mentioned after he was 12. Most scholars believe he died, and as the oldest son it would be Jesus' responsibility to head the family business of carpentry.
At the same time, God often calls us to wait for long periods of time before trusting us with "ministry." Jesus didn't begin what we would consider his ministry until he was 30. It's easy to forget he spent much more time as a carpenter than he did as a rabbi. Why did God wait so long? John the Baptist spent his life in the wilderness before preaching repentance. David spent years running from Saul before becoming a king. There's a pattern there that you can see running all throughout scripture. I myself am on the back end of a ten year season of preparation for I know not what. God gave me that word as a senior in high school and, while that has led me into all sorts of interesting places, the common theme of my life has been to focus primarily on growing and developing myself over directly minstering to others. Often the two connect, but also often not.
I don't know if I have a main point here or even if all these thoughts connect. I think I'm just rambling. But hey, you wanted my thoughts so there you go.
What do you make of all that?
Yeah... thanks for the thoughts... I lead a middle school small group so I personally wasn't thinking so much in the same mode as you, but its cool to hear what you thought. I feel as western society we have choosen to tell them their not "mature" enough to take on responsibilites. For example a study was done saying that "middle schoolers" should only be able to handle one chore of taking out the garbage, and that cleaning their room needed a parents help, and they say this because "science" has told them that their brains are physically ready to take on anymore responsibilites. And I totally disagree with all they have found, our bodies and brains must be ready at ages 11-14 to take on more responsibilites than just those. God trusted the youth with somthing they could of really messed up with, but God choose the "not good enough" in their society. Why don't we choose those people today?
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