I’m gearing up for my first year of teaching. Part of this is anticipating what my students are going to be like. It got me thinking about how Christ fills the larger needs of our generation so well. Here are a few thoughts I hope are encouraging.
Romans 8:28 is a reassuring truth that generation me needs. In the book Generation Me, Twenge notes that this generation is more likely to think that circumstances are driving each person’s lives. Many believe that they may have little effect on the outcomes of their efforts. Most speak of luck as a major determinant to success. Twenge says this is a pessemistic view and should be reversed, but I wouldn’t agree. I know that resting in Jesus is a good thing. The truth that God works all things for good should be a pleasing thought to those who feel like their life is out of their control. And, quite frankly, our lives are not in our control. We do not gain more days of blessing by being good- we gain blessing by being God’s children through Jesus. There could be so much relief to depression and anxiety through giving Jesus our burdens.
Generation me is increasingly more aware of the deceitfulness of riches and worldly things. They have witnessed a near-depression brought about by financial irresponsibility. They are starting to evaluate their inflated expectations for education, careers, salaries, and ability to buy large and expensive things because many are graduating and finding the job market too competitive and saturated. (This may become even worse with the sudden flood of people going back to school in response to the market crisis. Let’s see what happens in 3 years or so when they graduate with even more debt.) This generation is heading toward, if not already in, disillusionment.
Jesus asked what good it was if a person gain the whole world yet lose his soul (Mark 8:36)- an assertion I have yet to see someone disagree with. He also said the deceitfulness of riches choke out a Christian and make them unfruitful (Matthew 13:8). There is an avenue for our generation to come to Christ agreeing with the need to emphasize the Spirit, and I would also say they may be less likely to let the world choke them out once they believe in Jesus. Wealth and things will always be a problem. I’m saying that the understanding that wealth, power, and things will not give satisfaction has become clearer to this generation than others.
