My 9th grade son made a comment just before his first day in high school – that caught my attention. In effect he was sharing how he is tired of hearing the media describe his generation as the screwed generation (No jobs, inherited uncontrolled debt, etc). In so many words he told me it is sometimes depressing and hope killing. Go figure. It made me think of how I may be feeding this hope killing discussion as well. It forces one to really think – on what their hope is based. If my sons generation is truly ‘screwed’ due to any real or potential circumstance then the faith that I claim (and profess to my son) has a weak and meaningless foundation.
Did God suddenly leave town? Can you just hear the Divine chatter, “Well we took care of the boomers and tried to help gen x but they have just hosed the whole thing and as such gen y is just screwed..too bad for them”. Did Gods Divine plan become less meaningful, less appealing, less loving – due to unfortunate (man made or not) circumstances. Has God blown it and left this generation …hosed?
I’ve thought of this as I have been listening to eelection year chatter via conventions and water fountain discussions… “it’s their fault”, “our guy will fix it”, “I worry for my grand kids”, “there are no jobs”..blah..blah..blah. Think of what this would do to your own outlook if you were a 9th grader looking forward to the prospects of the future. I think my son is very astute for his age. He does take this in. It does impact him.
Here’s what I told him:
God has not suddenly left town. He has made you for this day and his purposes. He has a plan for your life – right now and through your whole life,.. a plan that has everlasting meaning. God’s plan is not swayed by circumstance, politics, economics, or inflation. Neither riches nor poverty will sway God’s plan for your life. He is good and he desires good for you. God’s goodness at work in your life will not be swayed by the circumstances of the world around you – nor by the circumstances you find yourself in. Do not listen to the naysayers (even if at times I seem to be one of them). Be encouraged and move forward with great expectations. God’s intends to use you to impact the world – for good.
Ok… this sounds good. However I am also forced to look at my own life in light of these words and in light of my sons perspective. My proclamation of hope only stands if I believe the message of the gospel. I read this in book by Brennan Manning today,
“Do I really believe the Good News of Jesus Christ? Do I hear His word spoken to my heart:”Shalom, be at peace, I understand?”…Are we optimistic about what will happen to us in this world, or are we fearful and pessimistic? Are we celebrating our union with the bridegroom. .. Our hope, our acceptance of this invitation to the banquet, is not based on the idea that we are going to be free of pain and suffering. Rather, it is based on the conviction that we will triumph over suffering.” (Ragamuffin Gospel Kindle location 1884)
I am struck with the crisis of my own calling at this stage in life (Brennan Manning refers to this as a second calling). I cannot give my son …nor anyone else in this world … hope if I do not first believe it myself and then commit afresh to a life that is perpetually wanting to grasp it more and more and then share this only true hope with those around me.
Also in the words of Brennan Manning, “Faith means you want God and want to want nothing else” and “Evangelical faith is the antithesis of lukewarm-ness; It always means a profound dissatisfaction with our present state.”
Now ..translate this into hope in the future for a 9th grader ..in such a way that he gets it? Stick with the Gospel.
What I am convicted of is that much of my own day to day language and more particularly my internal thoughts communicate something other than the hope I have stated.
My stated faith – through God’s work – proclaims that God’s grace must result in joy ..a joy that reigns through any circumstance. I have concluded that the lack of experienced and expressed and believed joy in my life – reflects mostly a lack of (my) receiving God’s grace. I am therefore in the midst of surrendering to His grace as I never have before (hopefully!). This is hard to described in a such a way that it conveys something different in my Christian journey. Today I had a bit of an epiphany ..simple as it may be .. that brought it to the forefront.
It occured to me that I could not recall telling Jesus that I loved Him. I have said the words ..but I have not said them as I have heard myself say to my struggling son, my bald headed cancer laid-en wife, my dying father, my struggling best friend, my best friend on hearing my own struggles and weaknesses, my sacrificing mother, my 3 small sons running toward me shouting, daddy’s home daddy’s home! ..and most certainly not as a sinful surrendered sinner receiving grace and forgiveness in love undeserved. I think to date I have mostly only acknowledge the gift of His love as if it were a Christmas package received from a wealthy, generous, loving and well admired benefactor. I am thankful for the gift. I acknowledge the generosity and the goodness of the giver. But I would most likely not run to the generous but distant benefactor, joyfully wrap my arms around Him and proclaim, “I love you”. Yet ..would He not want me to?
Here is the kicker: Jesus wants us to. As I want my son’s love expressed ..so does He. As I want my wife to profess her love for me ..so does He. As I have so enjoyed my small children embracing me full on ..so does He.
Prayer:
Pause. Jesus … I love you. Pause.
Can I be so bold as to ask for more grace ..that I may Love you more? [I know his reply: yes, yes, yes!]
May the hope of the Lord reign in my heart, in my son ..and through his generation.
Desperate Pursuit 