"Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this age" Romans 12:2
A couple years ago I was driving down route 30 and I saw an advertisement that pictured a middle aged woman partying, apparently having a "good" time. The billboard was advertising cosmetic surgery. The tag line across the top read, "Youth, Waste it Again." What this billboard seemed to be communicating was that the best way to spend one's years of youth was by partying them away, soaking up the pleasures of the world while you are young. In other words, save the serious things of life for later. And then when you are all grown up and tired of being serious go get cosmetic surgery so that you can experience those wasteful years all over again, grabbing up as much "pleasure" as possible.
There are so many things wrong with this line of thinking it is hard to know where to start. Can you pick up on the lies that are told by this advertisement? Is partying your youth away the best that this world has to offer? Will the sinful pleasures of this world really satisfy you and bring you deep, rich, and abiding fulfillment in life? I won't deny that there is some pleasure in these worldly youthful pursuits, but I want to ask you what I hope are two thought provoking questions. If we give our mind, heart, and soul to these pleasures for our youthful years do we really think that having become enslaved and engrossed in them that all of a sudden in adulthood we will see clearly enough to pull out of these patterns? Do we really think that these youthful pursuits are consequence free?
One of America's most influential pastors once said this in answer to the above question. "Experience teaches that when persons spend their youth in sin, God often
leaves them to hardness of heart all their lifetime after. God is
provoked by how many sin away their youth and flatter themselves that
they will seek God when their youth is past. But God is provoked by
their presumption and leaves them to go on as they have been." (taken from http://www.whatsbestnext.com/2011/01/edwards-give-your-youth-to-seeking-the-things-of-god/ on 1/17/11)
We hope you will think hard about the truth above. Do not be fooled into thinking that the decisions you make today, this week, this year are not creating lifelong patterns, habits, and ways of thinking. To these patterns and habits and ways of thinking you will be committed. It will be terribly difficult, if not impossible, to leave them behind later in life. Additionally, the consequences, the pain, the destruction to your mind, body, and soul will most definitely remain. Give your life to Jesus Christ now and seek to follow Him from here forward.
thank you so much for this Scott, not only is it an encouragement but also a wake up call. this message so pertains to the lives of students in college or in highschool.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Caroline. This is a huge wake up call for people of any age, really. The decisions we make today can, and will, affect our future. We see that people often overlook the long term consequences of their actions just so they can indulge in sinful behaviors, when they could be seeking a truly fulfilling life through Christ. Thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteThis is not only a wake up call for individual young people, but also us as a whole community. Imagine what we could do together! Instead of spending countless hours trying to fit-in or have the youthful experience that is being advertised, we could be living to make a difference and to fulfill our callings from God. Thank you Scott.
ReplyDeleteThis is not only a wake up call for individual young people, but also us as a whole community. Imagine what we could do together! Instead of spending countless hours trying to fit-in or have the youthful experience that is being advertised, we could be living to make a difference and to fulfill our callings from God. Thank you Scott.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me so sad that a billboard would reflect that kind of cultural value of our lives. Thank you for posting this, it has made me think. Why are people so resistant to growing up? Why do people find the joy in changing how they are made, partying to forget who they are, and live their youths vicariously through their children? Is it the responsibility that scares us or the fact that adults are supposed to have everything together? I think humans have realized how broken we are on our own so we revert to the acceptable teenager mentality of "figuring out who we are" using alcohol and such. If someone doesn't know Christ, they certainly don't know who they are and I think that's why they want to find themselves in youthful outlets of alcohol and spending money. Instead of having the brand name clothes it becomes having the cookie cutter house or best car. Culture tells us to return to the youth of living in the moment for parties and seizing the day because youth can. Jesus calls us to be little children with the same air of seizing the day, but IN HIM. Matthew 13 tells us where to sow our seeds and thank you for reminding us to be cautious where to do so.
ReplyDeleteScott thank you so much for posting this! I absolutely loved it! It is so encouraging when it gets hard to continuely say no to people. I plan on showing this to some friends and my youth pastor at my church. I love knowing that there are people out there who can see what is going on in this world and stand up and say this isn't right. My brother is a freshman in high school and I showed him this and it really encouraged him. And Jana it is really cool to imagine what we could do together and how we as teenagers can start changing things little by little! Thank you so much for this Scott is a reaffirmation to me that its okay to try to not fit in and that I have been making the right decisions. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAs a public school student i see kids going out and quote on quote enjoy their youth, but when I look at the adult in my neighbor hood they seem always busy and like they generally do not enjoy life. At SB2W we have both young kids and adult enjoy themselves and living life to the fullest for god. It just seems like a better life maybe we should stop trying to sell so much plastic surgery and such and give away more faith, i think it would make for a better life for everyone.
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