In 2005, two teenagers started TheRebelution.com website to encourage fellow young people to exceed low expectations and to do “hard things.” Citing 1 Timothy 4:12, one of its founders said, “As young people we are called to be exemplary in all areas of life. [But] our generation is falling incredibly short of that calling. Instead of serving as the launching pad of life, the teen years are seen as a vacation from responsibility.”
Many teens have grown up to become what is known in Taiwan as the cao mei zu (Strawberry Generation)—they look good on the outside, but are easily bruised. In the US, they’re known as “kidults.”
Each generation needs to heed the call of Paul, “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young” (1 Timothy 4:12). Being young isn’t an excuse for shirking responsibility or not giving God your very best. Instead, if you’re young, you can be an example to all of us. Not everyone will like you. Some may even jeer at you or call you names. But you will inspire all believers to stay true to God amid a culture that resists Him.
Paul stated five areas in which we’re to be exemplary: speech, lifestyle, love, faith, and purity. Is our speech marked by grace and truth? Do our priorities and behavior testify to our commitment to Jesus Christ? Are we self-satisfying or self-sacrificing? Do we exhibit faith in God as we face challenges? Do we fulfill the desires of our flesh or are we morally pure—not just outwardly but also in our thought-life?
If you’re young, choose to rise above low expectations. And may all believers, regardless of age, follow God in obedience, pursue godly character, and build momentum for an amazing future!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 11:1-13
More:
Read 1 Samuel 17:32-37 and see how one young person set a positive example in both his faith and speech.
Next:
How have you been growing in spiritual maturity? What mindset, attitude, or behavior do you need to change so that you can be an example to other believers?
ehdlive on August 2, 2013 at 1:08 am
The “Strawberry Generation” proliferated partly because we, the generation before them, pampered them so much allowing them to indulge in a seemingly smart outside appearance but actually, as Poh said, “easily bruised – kidults” individuals who display kid-like, immature attitude.. Time to repent and do the necessary restitution.
poohpity on August 2, 2013 at 10:38 am
I often wonder if it was not allowing them to make their own choices and partaking without interference the consequences. It is the hard things in life that develop character and often times letting them think for themselves. I have noticed that critical thinking is devoid and lacking even in my generation so how can one teach something they do not know.