Generations of Faith

Observations on the generations.

The passion of the children: I had the pleasure of sharing a devotional with a local AWANA group recently and was blown away by their passion. I shared a story about playing hide and seek (with my bobcat) and tied it into hiding God's Word in your heart. I then asked these kids if they had been memorizing Bible verses. Over the next 10-15 minutes child after child raised their hand and shared verses they had been memorizing. I never had to call on a child. They all wanted to share a verse or tell me their favorite book. Their passion spoke to me, challenged me.

The working out of the youth: Today's Christian teens want to work! They want to be given a task and let loose. The teens I know all have an amazing work ethic and want to DO something for God. They don't just want to talk about God, they want to work out their faith with hands and feet! Give them a task, not some cheesy set out the chairs task, but real vibrant tasks that can challenge them and give them the opportunity to "BE" believers in action.

The willingness of the young adults: We had a YWAM team in town recently and one thing I noticed was their willingness to step out of their comfort zones. These young adults led worship, performed skits and shared testimonies and sermons, most for the first time. Sure they had a deer-in-the-headlight look when I asked them to perform a never before practiced skit in front of a youth group and they expressed nervousness at leading worship for the first time. Yet, they did it...willingly. Without hesitation they stepped in, stepped up and lives were changed.

The wisdom of the elders: I have noticed, the older I get, that I am hearing more wisdom from the elders around me. I know now that they always had this wisdom, but I am of an age where I am actually paying attention. I want to glean from those who traveled this road of faith before me. I want to learn from their mistakes and pay attention to the lessons learned.

Passion, working out, willingness and wisdom...if I could combine these things with the faith of a child...well I'd be set. I love the child like faith I see in young children. They believe, I mean REALLY BELIEVE, that God can move mountains and do the impossible.

In the end that is what we all need. A child like faith. (Mark 10:16)