18 Going On Crazy?

I've always had a burden for those between the ages of 18-22. For 18 years most have been allowed to be, and treated like, children. Now all of sudden a child has to make a lot of adult decisions. Consider the choices that a person in this age range will make. Where will I go to college? What career path will I choose? And for many, who will I marry? These are major long term choices, that if not weighed with the proper perspective and influence, can lead to deep wounds. Not to mention all the new temptations that will rise from the freedom and independence of campus life away from the watchful eye of mom and dad. And many of those saddled with this responsibility are not ready to undertake it. So one might think!

This week I had the opportunity to lead a Bible Study/Discussion Group with a group of seniors at Oconee Christian Academy. After spending time with this group of amazing young men and women I'm not as concerned, that the 18-22 year olds are going to struggle with the vital choices of life, as I once was. This is a group of young people who some would consider to be sheltered by the umbrella of a small Christian school. But they are not blind to the reality of life. They have not been kept in the dark, given a false sense of what lies ahead. They have been given the opportunity to build a foundation that will hopefully save them from the scars of indecisiveness. A foundation that will aid them as they venture into unfamiliar territory.

Hope is not lost. Despite what the images on Fox News and CNN depict. God is raising up a generation with extreme faith in and passion for Jesus Christ. A generation that realizes that God is bigger than the box, and therefore their ideas of what they can accomplish and how they can accomplish are not contained by it either. They will storm college campuses and invade the future workforce with bold clarity about who they are and what they believe in.

Throughout scripture we witness the amazing accomplishments of people who were "chronologically challenged" (not very old). Why is it that we don't expect the same to take place in the 21st century?