Something to Give

As we conclude Youth Month, I thought I’d share a message God laid on my heart. I shared it with my youth group and thought I’d share it with you too. God impressed in my heart to remind the young that they have something to give. 

“Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I don’t have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:4-6

In this story, the crippled beggar is expecting to get money from Peter and John. Peter however makes it clear that he does not have what the man expects, but he does have something to give (which is way better than the money the man expects). So it is with the young – they have something valuable to contribute, but because what they have is not what we (as families, the church, society etc.) expect, we often miss it. 

Consider the image above. In a world that overvalues and prioritizes money and status (based on wealth), it is easy for young people to believe that they have nothing valuable to give. It is easy to believe that they can only make a worthy contribution to society once they’ve grown older. But they have something else quite valuable (and priceless) to give: time and strength. The Bible also attests to this. Youth is often associated with strength in Scripture (see Proverbs 20:29 and 1 John 2:14). Scripture also insinuates in portions like 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 that the “unmarried woman or virgin” enjoys more freedom and time and can thus be wholly devoted to the Lord.

If the youth could realize just how valuable these two assets are, they would not only be more giving of their time and strength where God has placed them, but they would also put more thought into how they give of their time and strength. I’ll mention just two areas that take up our strength and time. 

Premature romantic relationships

Lemuel’s mother sternly warns him about where to spend his strength. “O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. (Proverbs 31:2-3). The unfortunate obsession with romantic relationships in our younger years plays to our disadvantage. The mental and physical energy they take from us might go unnoticed but is undeniable. Being in love can have you weak (see Songs of Solomon 2:5 and 5:8 if you don’t believe me). Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being in love, but there’s everything wrong with being in love at the wrong time. This is why the beloved in Songs of Solomon, overcome with love, keeps warning the daughters of Jerusalem to not awaken love until the time is right (Songs of Songs 2:7).

In several conversations, I’ve heard many of my agemates (young adults AKA iyouth endala) and adults wish they had acted differently in their younger years. Regretting spending their energy fooling around than on school. Wishing they applied their strength more when making decisions about their career and future. Lamenting the consequences of premature love and the strength it keeps taking from them (because a lot of mental strength goes into trying to heal from the blows of failed relationships).

Distractions

Beyond relationships (which also take up a lot of time), our time can be wasted on other distractions. These are activities that prevent you from focusing on your purpose, future, goals etc. Like Martha who was distracted by all the preparations when Jesus came to visit, she forgot to focus on the very man that was visiting. We too miss out on key moments and opportunities of our young lives because we are too distracted. We could be distracted by the wrong type of friends, unhealthy habits, social media, enjoyment etc. 

Distractions aren’t always negative. We can also be distracted by activities which are seemingly good but have no benefit at the end of the day. I believe this is what Paul means when he says “' Everything is permissible’-but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible’ – but not everything is constructive” (1 Corinthians 10:23). We need to analyze the things we spend our time on using this verse as a tool: what do I benefit from this? In what ways does this activity help me to improve and develop (and in which areas – are these areas important for my chosen career path, values etc.?)

We need to preserve our strength and time for the things that really matter. The useful things, not only to us, but helpful to those around us too. The things that bring glory to God and point the world to Christ. How unfortunate it is when the world gets the best of us, and God only gets the leftovers. How unfortunate it is when the young are too busy and too tired for God!  

I pray this will challenge you to re-evaluate your non-monetary spending and encourage you to spend yourself on things that really matter. 

"This is what the Lord says: 'I remember the devotion of your youth...'" Jeremiah 2:2