A question I am often asked as I go to the schools and speak is what is missing in teenagers today? I can't account for teenagers over the past century, but I can tell you what appears to be missing in most teens. It's empathy. It's that ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. It's those times when you are faced with a problem and and the solution involves understanding the other person.
I have teenagers in our youth ministry that we have picked up along the way. They have grown up in the inner city, the roughest parts of town. They are constantly in survival mode. They get mad when they feel like they have been done wrong, and then they realize later that the other person was no more wrong than they were. I want so desparately to own a remote like Adam Sandler had in his movie "CLick"and fast forward to the part where they realize what really went on, and then rewind it and help them avoid the whole conflict.
But wait, it doesn't just happen in those kids lives. We have our share of what I would call "priviledged" kids, those kids who have a loving home, a great family, and everything they need, as well as most of what they want. These kids exemplify the same problem, the inability to see life through the eyes of others. Even older stronger, teenagers and college students as well as adults do it. We're in a hurry driving to work, or an appointment of some sort. We are cutting in and out of traffic trying desparately to make it in time. Then, someone cuts in front of us, guess what! They are probably in a hurry to get somewhere too. But we don't think about that, we selfishly think about getting ourselves there.
Jesus was approached by the scribes and pharisees in Matthew. He was asked, "What then is the greatest commandment?" His reply was the basis of how we should strive to live day to day, "To love the Lord your God, with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind." And the second is to love your neighbor as yourself."
Wouldn't that seemingly fix the problem. If we teach young men and women and teenagers to love God with all they have, that will set the bar high for them to love others.
That's what loving your neighbor as yourself really is, it's putting yourself in their shoes. None of us have much trouble loving ourselves, taking care of ourselves and putting ourselves first. What if we put God first, the person we are in conversation with second and ourselves third in every situation? Well, then Jesus' advice would be lived out.
So put others in front of yourself and watch your life blossom.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
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