This past week I was on a trip with 21 teenagers ranging from 12 to 17, along with two other chaperons. To say that I'm still tired would be an understatement. I was not able to get any homework done for my college classes, so I am now having to make up for that on top of being tired. I'm not at all complaining though. I had a good time. There was a disturbing trend, however. A lot of the teenagers were clueless! O-M-Gosh! :) Simple things like wiping off a counter or table proved to be a daunting task for some of these kids. It was amazing to watch this transpire. I'm almost afraid for this next generation. I did notice another characteristic on this trip. It was quite fascinating to watch peer pressure play its game within the dynamic of this group of 21. There were the loners, the leaders, and the followers, as there are in most settings. What made it fascinating was watching how solid foundations in Christ played a roll. I watched the teens who have a solid Christian foundation, those who actually live it out in their daily lives, interact with each other. Then I was able to watch those teens who have the foundation, but it was pretty obvious they didn't live it out in their lives. There was also a small group of teens who didn't have any foundation in Christ, and you could definitely tell them apart. The unfortunate side of this was watching the teens who have the foundation but don't live it out get sucked into the group with no foundation. That was quite sad. I can attest to the fact that teenagers should NEVER be left to their own devices!!! They can come up with some pretty dumb ideas. I did see the core teen group rally around each other and support each other. That dynamic was awesome. They obviously live out their faith, and you can't ask much more from a teenager today. For them to stick to what's right, despite what the "popular" crowd was doing, was amazing. I have a new found respect for a few of the teens, and hope to work with a few others in the weeks/months to come. If we can reach this age group and give them a working knowledge of how to do life right, we could change the next generation of families. I could go on and on about what that means, but I'm fading pretty fast now and need to send a quick email to my hubby.
Praise God for the safety of the teen trip and for the relationships that were formed. May He open the hearts and minds of all those teens who were on this trip to desire a Christ-centered life. I pray that you, too, are centered in Christ, and are actively living out that faith. God's best to you and your family.
Hugs
Bobbie Jo