Ten Dislikes

Yesterday I posted about the ten things that I love about teenagers.  Today I am posting on the ten things I dislike about teenagers.  Remember there are great joys and then there are also great disappointments.  Ministry is no different than life.  We will experience both in our families, our jobs, our churches and our friendships.  Even though these are dislikes, I still love students and how one minute they can be crazy and the next they can be sacrificing everything to be used for His glory.

Schedule I dislike the busyness that they have etched in their life.  There is a point of over commitment and therefore they find themselves doing many things good but nothing great.  I dislike how their schedule sometimes directs their relationship with God.

In The Box Faith God is so much bigger than their hurt or pain.  So many times they minimize God and therefore minimize their faith and put it in a  box.  They pull it out on Sundays but during the week it can be silent.  I dislike that because their faith is small they rarely have a biblical worldview.  The reality is Christ is not a daily priority.

Discernment Everyone wants a good laugh but at what expense?  At who’s expense?  The line between what is funny and when is funny is something I dislike.  It could be the most serious moment in a life group and then somebody passes gas and the moment is lost.  Maybe the seriousness of dealing with sin in our lives causes us to become uncomfortable and try and change subjects.  The choices that they make I dislike.  What they think is appropriate clothes to wear to what they are finding as entertainment to who they date.

Lack Of Civility As with all of these they don’t apply to all teenagers.  This is not a blanket statement for all but there are many who have a disrespect for authority and for their peers.  For a cheap laugh they are willing to do almost anything if it means being accepted.

Family Absence So many students come home to empty houses.  Or they have parents who are never home because of work obligations or they live with only one parent.  Their is a piece of them that is really hurting and needing someone to love them.  Many students are on their own at such an early age that it forces them to grow up quicker and may have something to do with the lack of respect.

Selfish We all can be this way from time to time, but I heart breaks for parents who just give and give and their kids have come to expect it without so much as a thank you.  Many feel like they deserve everything.

Easily Influenced So many of them want to take a stand but if it means not being accepted sadly so many of them become easily influenced.  Acceptance becomes more important than influence.

Work Ethic This goes back to being selfish.  Many don’t know how to work and have developed a lazy habit of only giving half the effort.  We all have the “when I was your age” stories.  However, very few of today’s generation will be able to say that with any honesty.

Lack of Leadership Leadership as it pertains to lifestyle or speaking up.  Speaking up for “that kid” who gets picked on or is not as popular.  Speaking up in the tough decisions.  Speaking up instead of giving into temptation.  Leadership of simply modeling what they believe in with their lifestyle.

They Grow Up They lose their innocence and become adults and move on.  I have had to say goodbye to so many students who became a big part of my life.  They come in as pubescent 11 or 12 years olds who are scared and alone and searching for identity and they walk out, hopefully, as mature believers in Christ who know who they are and what they believe in.