Who Are You???

There is a question that many do not really know they are asking themselves, “Who am I”. As a Christian, the answer should be, “I am a child of God and a member of the Body of Christ”. This should be the common answer but unfortunately many youth and some young adults cannot even look into their own hearts and see this truth. Some are too easily influenced by worldly things and rely solely on social media do discover themselves instead of learning who they are through physical interactions and spending time with God.

Social media keep people constantly inundated with questionnaires through Facebook and Twitter asking what celebrity, fictional character, house or alliance (ex. HP, GOT, SW), animal, etc. do they resemble. People that are influenced easily can become confused and eventually lose themselves and their true identity that God had chosen for them. Society works to confuse the minds so that truth is distorted and the identity given by God is changed to meet the devil’s gain. This even includes the questions of sexual preference and gender identity. 

What is Your Name?

A name is something given by the parents to the child. Our Father in Heaven speaks our names into their minds so that we are called as He calls us. In other words, our name is given by God. When people decide to change their name does that mean they want to hide from God? Some would say, yes. But you cannot hide from God. Our Father is not like other gods who do not see in the dark nor will not travel places. He sees everything and is everywhere. He sees in the hearts of those who try to change physically. You cannot escape God, His name is written in our DNA. We are His.

Some of my children’s friends have trouble remembering what their own given name is because they dwell in the escape of fantasy or are enticed by other cultures so much that they will not answer to the name given by their parents even when the parent is using the real name to get their attention. Call it selective hearing and lack of obedient listening all you want but in truth it is the trick of the Adversary to cause anger and confusion resulting in separating families.

I Just Want to be Liked

Some kids change their truths just to be liked by others who will eventually leave them anyway. If you can’t be your unchanged self to fit into a group, you do not need to be in that group. Don’t go chasing Amy over the cliff if you cannot stop yourself. Check yourself before doing something against better judgement.

Gang members have this thing of having prospective members do something they would not normally do just to be a part of a group. In a town close by the retreat we recently had three young boys get arrested for attempted murder due to a gang related incident. Those lives are now forfeit and will have a stain for life just because they wanted to belong and be accepted. Now they wear orange.

People Like Me When I Act This Way 

Are you who you are or are you pleasing others by being something you are not? Putting on an act gives people the wrong impression on who a person really is. Middle and High School aged children are under so many influences. These influences can cause a child to act a certain way to be liked. This can unfortunately lead to changes that are detrimental to the person later in life.

If someone believes that being a certain way is the only way to make friends then that person loses the truth of being. Being like someone you admire is one thing but it can get out of control. If you are a girl and act like a Kardashian, you may find yourself being victimized and thrown away. If a young man acts like certain sportsmen or player of women he may find himself in deep trouble that will affect the rest of his life. Being something you are not is very unhealthy both physically and spiritually. Be who you were brought up to be, who God needs you to be, not what society wants you to be.. 

False Realities

I have an issue with 20 somethings and older trying to hang on to their youth through dressing and acting like their favorite television or movie characters. If you are in that age category, act like it. As those individuals get older, the characters become more adult oriented which can lead to unwanted and disastrous attentions.

Some conventions have had so many issues they now have classes and warnings that focus on the dangers of dressing and acting certain ways. Policies have had to be put in place so deviants and predators have less chance in playing out their fantasies. Dress appropriately, some people bring their children and they do not need to be subjected to those adult oriented costumes.

Share Everything, Everybody Does It

No, they don’t. Social media controls many facets of life but it should not completely control our lives. The less we are on it, the better. I really do not care to see or hear about every aspect of people’s lives online unless you are immediate family and you are showing pictures of a recent vacation or important life event that I may have missed for whatever reason. Some people overshare and put themselves at risk. Some will share so much of their lives and have their phone number on their site so strangers can find them and not necessarily for good reasons.

God tells us to live our lives without the intrusion of others, especially strangers. He means we should keep to ourselves to avoid gossip and wrong impressions being told and seen. There is so much about ourselves that only God and our spouses need to know.

Children, imitation is the best form of flattery but that does not mean imitating what you see on the television, movies, or internet. Imitate behaviors of the people closest to you. Parents and close family, that means be on your best so that we will have better citizens growing up instead of this generation of people who do not know who they truly are. Remember the responsibility of Proverbs 22:6.

Brothers and Sisters, it is up to us to put the reigns on the youth and reel in the adults who are misleading our children. I know we cannot stop certain things but we can get the children to understand right ways of living from wrong ways. Keep an eye on what they see and an ear on what they hear. Teach them discernment. Doing so they may discover that they are Children of the God Most High and belong to Him.

May God’s loving compassion an discernment be bestowed on you with younger children in your family. May God’s Grace and Mercy shine on the older youth that they choose to live a right life. May God discipline the adults who betray our children’s and young adult’s trust that they may learn the error of their ways.

In God’s Loving Compassionate Arms, May His Grace and Mercy fill your heart,

Rob, Servant of God