As I stood watching the youth of New Zealand praise Jesus at Call 2 All, I could not help but to think about the youth of America and how starving they are for acceptance-how desperate they are to be loved. The truth is the youth of New Zealand are in a deep depression that only God can heal. The young girls wear barely anything in order to gain the acceptance of their peers and the approval of the young men in their community. Both young men and women binge drink just to get drunk and consider their lives to be one big party; it is plain to see that Jesus is not present in these teens’ lives. On top of that, New Zealand has the highest suicide rate in the world-the youth leading that epidemic. It broke my heart to hear those statistics and I came to the unnerving idea that if a revival does not happen soon in the U.S., then the youth of America will begin to experience the side effects of New Zealand. Already the youth of America is in dire need of a Savior; of Jesus Christ himself.
Right before leaving on this incredible journey, I used to pick up my little sister from school and saw first-hand how crucial it is to spread the love of Christ. Almost every young girl at my sister’s school was wearing revealing clothing, had a large amount of make-up on, kept close to the young boys, and wore colored bracelets all the way up their arms. A quick update to the parentals: plastic-colored bracelets symbolize different sexual acts and are also known to have MANY different representations in the RAVE world. The first thought that came to my mind was, “Do they even know what those bracelets stand for?” Then it hit me that they probably do; and that is much more frightening to think about. The young boys showed close to no respect and thought it entertaining to re-create violence in every which direction. The boys wore clothes that are WAY too big for them and added more decoration to their attire when the middle finger would fly into the air.
The question to ask ourselves is, “Why are the youth today acting out in such a way that ultimately kills them?”
The reason: The youth of today NEED JESUS! The youth of today NEED to know that they are LOVED, not only by our creator, but also by US! The youth NEED to feel like they are being heard- We need not to just listen to them, but to actually HEAR them! The youth of today know more than we give them credit for and are in constant battle with peer pressure and their own minds. They are in desperate need to realize that Jesus is here to save them-to cover them with a hedge of protection. The youth especially need to know that they have a purpose-that Jesus has a mighty plan for each one of their lives. We NEED to stand up and disciple the next generation so that they may rise up and make disciple out of ALL nations.
I am not saying that this is going to be easy; let’s face it, working with the youth can be one of the most rigorous responsibilities but it is imperative that this generation stands up for them. The truth is, they do not listen nor do they feel like they need any help; but what they are not making known is that they are crying out for help-they are LONGING for it. When I was in high school, I was extremely depressed-I had an eating disorder, I was a feminist, and I was suicidal (not to mention all the other things I had on my plate at the time). The reason why I came to Christ, was because of a few girls my age NEVER gave up on me; they loved me for WHO I WAS! That is the key: WE NEED TO LOVE THE YOUTH REGARDLESS OF WHAT SINS THEY ARE COMMITTING IN THEIR LIVES-For weren’t we all sinners at one point? Through my past struggles I have FALLIN’ IN LOVE WITH JESUS and now dream of one day, having my own organization to spread the love of Christ to the youth of America. However, we NEED more people to step out in faith and fearless make known the gospel to the youth of the world.
So Let us stand up and fight for our youth and let’s not forget how important they truly are; for they hold the promise of tomorrow.
