Nairobi; Kenya: I had an opportunity recently to listen to a 14-year old girl preacher who yelled into the microphone with messages of repentance.
She was alive and pleasantly noisy alright, swinging this way and that way, admonishing and encouraging at the same time.
She had 10 minutes while the regular preacher had 40 minutes, and while both sermons were enriching, my mind still replays images of the talented, zealous youth whose message I vividly recall.
Yes, the youth of today are amazing in all aspects and should be celebrated.
It is no longer shocking to find a 24-year-old CEO chairing a board meeting.
The world is filled with youthful innovators.
This is not to say that the youth of yesterday recorded no impact in history.
Far from it. In fact, in Biblical times, a number of youth accomplished things the old would only dream of.
Take young David for instance, who, through a sling and a pebble, killed and cut off the head of a Philistine who had taunted and tormented Israel for a long time.
There are ways we can gift our youth:
Prayer.
God listens when we present our supplicationbefore Him.
A parent who would cover his/her young person in prayer from the time they are born is better off in the long run.
Our youth go through very challenging times during puberty and placing them in God’s care is the best gift we could ever give them.
Modelling.
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We cannot expect our youth to become great people when greatness in us is lacking.
For instance, warning a teenager against lying and then we proceeding to lie the next instance.
The good book talks of momentary pleasures that are passing away but what remains is the enduring word of God.
Much as drinking alcohol, prostitution, infidelity etc might appear cool to some people, sacrificing them to stay chaste for our youth, is another example of a great gift we can bestow on them.
Space.
We can also gift our youth with space to enable them grow into the individuals God wants them to be.
It is understandable that if the clock was turned back, many of us would choose a different path.
We are stuck in this rut of a career because we did not know any better.
Now we want to load it over our children with careers they feel little about.
Our gift to them would be to give them space to grow and discover their talents.
If they feel called to music, why not provide them with the resources?
Education.
We like it or not, we live in a competitive academic world where formal education matters.
Some will go on to be business people, but let them be smart, educated business people.
Education may be expensive but we can always give our children an education.
Many have gone through cheaper government sponsored alternatives and made it.
God.
Finally, the most precious gift we can give our children is to introduce them to an intimate relationship with God.
Whether they like it or not, come Sunday, drag them to church.
Year after year. It will bear fruit. It always bears fruit; because when the time comes for independence, such youth find no trouble adjusting.
That is why the 14-year-old could stand in front of a huge crowd and fearlessly preach the word of God.
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