They question everything...

As a teacher of middle school students and the mother of two teens, I have noticed something...they question EVERYTHING! I can almost feel all the other teachers and parents out there nodding their heads in agreement. At times it is so exhausting...mainly because there is a fine line between questioning and disrespect, but I think I may have a way to tell the difference.

This blog started the other day when I attended the graduation ceremony of one of our local High Schools. I was so proud of those young men and women that I knew who crossed the stage into the next part of their lives. I wanted to cheer, but they had asked us simply stand in recognition and not "get out of hand". They, of course, did not use that wording, but I think we all understood what was meant. The young man in front of me questioned why they had that rule and I answered the best way I knew how by saying it was so that EVERY parent could hear their child's name when it was called. He didn't agree with the rule, but said he'd take my word for it.

Later on in the ceremony, a few groups, most of whom were NOT teenagers, decided to disregard the request and were escorted out. I had to notice, however, it was not simply that they cheered - but the cheers went on and on and then when the participants sat down you could hear comments from them daring the security to come and tell THEM to move. There it was - the difference. They questioned not because they felt the rule was wrong - they questioned because they didn't want anyone telling them what to do!

At the very end of the ceremony, once hats had been tossed and people were starting to leave, another young man that I know personally celebrated by doing a back flip....and again I was struck with the difference. This young man had obeyed and respected the rules, yet found a way to be uniquely himself in the process simply by waiting until the ceremony was over. I hope I am not the only one that sees the difference.

I, like most parents and teachers, don't want to raise mindless robots who simply obey without thinking. (Behavior like that led to Hitler's rise in power and some of the segregation laws in this country.) I want to raise citizens who THINK and who question when things aren't right. However, in doing this, I am also concerned that we have taught an entire generation to question simply when they don't like the rules because they want things their way...sort of a Burger King generation - have it your way, have it your way. We forget that our rights end where another person's begin.

The Bible talks about this in Proverbs 29:18 - "Without a vision, the people perish." One version says "Without revelation the people cast off restraint." The second part is equally important, "but happy is he who keeps the law." Most versions say "blessed is he who keeps the law." I want my children to be blessed.

So how do I help my children question without being disobedient? Simple - I first teach them God's law. What is that? Well, the ten commandments of course; but since kids have such a short attention span I'll narrow it to the top two - just like Jesus did for us (who also have very short attention spans!) #1 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and spirit. #2 - Love your neighbor as yourself.

Now - look at what you are questioning. Is it something that challenges #1? How about #2? If it's not challenging either of these, then you should obey. You can ask questions, but ask yourself if you are questioning because you don't understand, because it breaks one of the top two, or because you want to have things your way.

I believe this next generation holds greatness in them if they catch the vision that God has for their lives. If not, I'm concerned we'll raise yet another generation that is singing, "It's all about me, it's all about I, it's all about Number One oh my, me my! What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see." (Paraphrasing Toby Keith's song.)

I believe this generation deserves more. I want to spend my days helping them catch the vision of what God has for them...not simply answering a whole lot of "me" questions.

And at the next graduation, I will follow the rules...and keep my eye out for the kid who does the back flip at the end.

L.I.V.E.

Today's post is taken from something I heard a friend share at his son's graduation last night. I watched as he gave the "charge" to his son and friends, and really to all of us in the room, to really L.I.V.E.

L.I.V.E. stands for Loving, Innovation, Values, and Encouragement.

Loving - In life it's quite easy to love those closest to us...or is it? In a Wednesday night service recently we compared what the world calls love with what God calls love. The God love isn't all that easy because it's not based completely on feelings. Godly love is truly a choice. It isn't a 50/50 proposition...true love doesn't even require that the other person love back. Godly love isn't dependent upon feelings. As we travel through life, we will find that the world is filled with people that can be pretty difficult to love....sometimes we can even find those people in our own families! We may not always LIKE those around us, but if we can see them with the eyes of Christ, we can work toward learning to LOVE them.

Innovation - This is really thinking outside the box. Today's world can sometimes look pretty scary, but some of the greatest innovations have been born not in times of plenty, but in times of need. What is your gift? Allow God to use that gift; it will make a place for us before great men. (Prov. 18:16) Don't be afraid to use those innovative ideas and create. Ever hear of post-it notes? Did you know that they were born not out of something that worked, but something that didn't? Spencer Silver was working for 3M in the 70's trying to invent a super strong adhesive...instead, he created a super weak one. He didn't discard it, and 10 years later a fellow 3M scientist named Arthur Fry remembered Silver's invention. Fry was singing in the church choir and having trouble keeping his markers in place. He remembered Silver's super weak adhesive and used it. Ten years after Silver's "failure", 3M began marketing post-it notes. Think outside the box!

Values - What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul? The values we learned as a small child should go with us throughout our lives. They are timeless and true. There is a saying that says "Everything I needed to learn, I learned in kindergarten" and that is still true today. More importantly, everything I need is available to me in the timeless Word of God that I began learning even before kindergarten. Don't forget what is important in life...it's not the stuff you accumulate, it's the people you love along the way.

Encouragement - Everyone needs encouraging and it is a gift anyone can give. The funny thing is, when given, this gift comes back and blesses the one who gave it! Don't forget to encourage those who encourage others...they need those refreshing words just like you. Encourage yourself as well....encourage yourself with songs (of God's faithfulness) and promises (from His Word), and just good pep talks every now and then. Speak words of life and hope to all you meet, even the person in the mirror!

So now we have a week's worth of lessons in a four letter word, "L.I.V.E." Go out and really LIVE life today.

(Special thanks to Milton Miskel for inspiration in this blog, and congratulations to Channing. Channing, you already show the signs of God's hand in your life and you truly know how to L.I.V.E.)