Death can be defined as the termination of functions that sustain life.
There are basic functions that have sustained us, without these functions, life can seem to lack meaning. Since we know that life is found in God, this is the first of a series that talks about a few things we need to instill in our youth to resuscitate them. If we fail to turn this downward trend, we may lose the next generation.
#1 HOPE
As kids, we used to play all day long! We would meet up with a couple of friends early in the morning and run through the neighborhood, jump fences, and ride bikes. Though our surroundings were familiar, every day our imaginations would send us to places far away. We didn’t pay much attention to what tomorrow would bring… tomorrow would just come… and in a sense it would take care of itself. Our parent’s joy was in sending us out of the house while they recouped energy we drained from them. Even if we got mad at our parents, and talked of running away, we were still back home before the streetlights came on. That is not how things are for our kids today. Tomorrow can be a challenge to want to see.
A friend that no longer calls, a heart string that is no longer there, a group of kids that think teasing is funny. They are surrounded with temptations to join groups or gangs just to belong. Parents that have financial or relational issues, too busy to notice a change in countenance. Our kids are faced with situations that somehow they feel are insurmountable. Why would a child bring a gun to school? What happens that makes them think this is an actual way out? Why would they take their life because of someone else’s opinion? We can’t imagine the pain they must feel for life to seem to be so… hopeless.
What would we really do without hope? Hope keeps us looking towards tomorrow, towards something better, different something good. Our kids are more suicidal than we ever were, and if we were and we lived past that horrible time, we learned that our challenges were survivable, the world is not perfect, but trouble does not last always! Our kids need to know and understand that. They need to know that the sufferings today cannot be compared to tomorrow. Give your kids hope so they desire to stay here to see tomorrow.
Real hope is found in God. I wish I could pretend for those who don’t want to hear it. But He is the one who makes tomorrow bearable, meaningful. He is the one who will help us to see past today. Faith in God is hard to describe to those who are not interested, but for the sake of our kids… point them to Him. He is a lifeline that this generation needs.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust (hope) in their money, which is so unreliable. Their hope should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this, they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
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