Those Teenage Years
A Time Of Change!

All of us are changing every day that we live. All who are parents know that the time we have our children in our arms as little babies is altogether too short. They grow up right before our eyes. The little boy or girl that we send off to kindergarten will be graduating from high school in what seems to be just a short period of time. Those who are older and no longer growing physically are still changing every day - growing in knowledge and expenence.

All of these changes that we go through in the various stages of our lives are small when compared to those changes we experience in the perplexing period of "the teenage years". That is a difficult time. It is the time when we are changing from little children into adults. It is a time when our bodies are changing most dramatically, when our emotions are changing, and our actions are changing. It is a period of change.

Let's consider a few of the changes that occur during the teenage years.

1. It is a time of extreme selfconsciousness.

As the various systems in our bodies move toward adulthood, teenagers tend to worry about their height, their weight, their appearance, and a host of other things. Anyone who has ever agonized over a pimple right before a big date understands this point. No one is more aware of these factors than the one who is going through them and oftentimes adults forget how difficult these changes can be.

I remember a period in my teenage years when I was having a particularly difficult time with my complexion. Clearasil and alcohol were not helping and I was approaching a date that had taken considerable time to build up the courage to ask for. As the long-awaited night arrived and I came downstairs after fixing myself up and feeling that I was looking pretty good, my dad said, "What's the matter with your face? It's a mess." Needless to say, that took care of my confidence for the evening. Dad wasn't being mean, just forgetful. He didn't remember how self-conscious a teenager can be.

2. It is a time of social consciousness.

Everybody likes to be liked, and never more so than during the teenage years. It is important for a young person to feel accepted and popular. It is for this very reason that peer pressure plays such a powerful role in these years.

3. It is a time of self-assertiveness.

Many teenagers have felt the desire to be his or her own boss, to get out of school and make their own decisions. It is a time when many begin to challenge authority. Little children who obeyed their mother and father simply because they were their mother and father do not always behave the same way during this period of change. Many parents have wondered, "Who is this person living in my house?"

4. It is a time of questions.

The teenage years bring challenges to previously held ideas. This is true in many areas, including the area of faith. It is a time when young people are building their own beliefs and guidance from their parents continues to be so important. It is a time of questions!

5. The teenage years are also a time of pressure.

All we have to do is consider the things already mentioned, things that just about every teenager has experienced and can identify with, to see that there is a good deal of pressure during these years. It is the time when peers assert a greater influence than at any other period in life. It is a time when temptation of all kinds begins to rear its ugly head. It is a time when understanding and support is needed.

Having set these ideas before us, I want to notice several passages of scripture that present us with principles that will help teenagers to cope with this most difficult time of change in their lives. This will not be a list of "thou shalt nots", it will be a list of "thou shalts".

First of all, know that you, just you as an individual person, are important. In Psalm 139:13-16, David makes it clear that God was personally involved and aware with each of us before we were even born. That passage says, "Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them."

Notice the personal care and concern of God with the individual. God knows each and everyone of us from the moment of conception and He cares. That makes every individual important. That makes you important. This wonderful love and concern of God does not stop at birth or childhood, but it continues on-even in the teenage years when we might tend to feel alone and that no one understands. God does, and He wants you to be his child. He is only as far from you as you want Him to be. James wrote, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

It is vital to remember during these years that your parents love you. Sometimes parents may seem too harsh, sometimes they may seem too restrictive, but it is all done with your best interest in mind and because they love you. That makes you important.

Young people, Proverbs 4:1-4 shows that parents are teaching those good principles that they were taught, and that you will teach as well to your children when you are parents. Solomon wrote, "Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, and give attention that you may gain understanding, for I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my instruction. When I was a son to my father, tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, then he taught me and said to me, 'Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live;'"

The love and concern that your parents feel for you, the countless hours of work put in to be able to supply you with all the things you need to grow to adulthood physically, the hours of prayers and concern on your behalf by your parents - all of these things should show you just how important you are.

Secondly, appreciate what you have. We live in a society that tends to maximize what we don't have and minimize what we do. You may not have the wealthiest parents. You may not live in the nicest or the biggest house. You may not be the best athlete or the prettiest or most handsome. But each and everyone has talents and abilities given to them by God that He expects us to use.

In 1 Cor. 12:14-21, the Apostle Paul wrote about the different talents and abilities that people possess and how each and everyone is important. The passage says, "For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you'; or again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you'."

All of us are different. We cannot all do the same things with the same degree of talent, but we can all do something and we all need to appreciate what we have.

Thirdly, young people, respect yourselves. You should never be lost in a crowd. You have a unique personality that makes you who you are. When you respect yourself, you will go a long way toward making the right choices in your young life. If you respect yourself you will remember that "Bad company corrupts good morals" (1 Cor. 15:33). You will choose your friends wisely because you do respect yourself and don't want to associate with those who do not.

In addition, if you respect yourself you will cleave to your chastity and purity. To preserve yourself for your future husband or wife is what God intended for you to do. Hebrews 13 :4, says, "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge."

A preacher used an illustration years ago that shows what I am talking about. He spoke of a classroom into which the teacher brought a bouquet roses. He took one of the roses and allowed it to be passed around the room, from person to person. Each one in the class handled the rose, smelled the rose, and fondled it. When class was over, each pupil was allowed to take a rose. Guess which one was left. The rose that made the rounds was not taken. That which had been as beautiful as all the others had been defiled by all the handling it had gone through.

The same consideration should be taken when someone tries to convince you to engage in sexual activity before marriage. We are not just speaking of going from one person to another either. If a young man or young woman wants you to engage in that kind of activity as proof of your love for them, you can know without a doubt that they do not love you.

In our fashion minded society it is easy to be influenced by what everybody else is wearing. But young people, respect yourself. If the only way you can attract a young man or a young woman is by wearing suggestive clothing, than he or she is not worth attracting in the first place. Those who feel that that is what they have to do to get attention or to be attractive just don't have much respect for themselves.

In the fourth place, young people, cleave to that which is good. Roman 12:9, tells us, "Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good." There are so many things in this world that we can participate in that are good and clean and fun. Why should we ever want to partake in that which is not? In the very first psalm, the psalmist shows us that happiness is not to be found walking in the way of the sinner. It is to be found by walking in the way of the Lord. Look at what David wrote in Psalm 1:1-3, "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its .fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers."

The Apostle Paul gave us a prescription for purity in Philippians 4:8, with these words, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."

Lastly, draw near to God. There is one sure and steadfast thing - God does not change. He is always there, always ready and willing to help. His word does not lie, and it declares that if we will draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Study God's word and see if this isn't so. Listen carefully to its instructions and obey its words. Remember, "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation." (Hebrews 5:8,9)

God's word will help you in this time of change. It will help you to determine the proper values and it will help you to avoid the many pitfalls that you face. It will show you what it took Solomon an entire lifetime to learn. It will teach you that no amount of wealth, pleasure, good times or power can satisfy what you need the most. Solomon summed it all up in the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, in verse 13, by writing, "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person."

This process begins by rendering your obedience to the gospel. That includes believing that Jesus is the Christ, repenting of your sins, confessing your faith in the Lord, and being baptized for the remission of your sins. At that point, young people, the Lord adds you to His church. (Acts 2:47) Never, never let anything or anybody come between you and God. In Hebrews 11 :24 & 25, we find, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;" Come to understand, as Moses did, that those things that we may have to give up to serve God acceptably are far less than the bountiful and marvelous blessings we receive.