Living in the Difficult Middle of Faith and Faithless
When asked whether they agreed with the following statement, “Generally speaking, most people can be trusted,” 40% of Baby Boomers agreed, 31% of Gen Xers agreed, and 19% of Millennials agreed. It doesn’t take a degree in statistics to observe the downward drift in the generations concerning faith in our fellow humans. This growing lack of trust is making the tension between the desire for intimacy and the fear of betrayal less bridgeable and therefore heightening growing trends in isolation and tribalism. For those of us either raising or working with Gen Z (as this school age generation is being called), how do we instruct them to live in the tension of a fallen, untrustworthy world and the grace filled Kingdom of God? Is there anything we can do to see this discouraging statistic improve? This year’s school theme comes out of 2 Thessalonians 3:3 which states, “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” Let’s unpack how a foundational faithfulness in the Lord can equip today’s students for tomorrow’s challenges.
- Be honest about the unfair and faithless realities of life this side of heaven. We want to protect our children from harm, but there is a cost to life sheltered from all adversity. Paul writes to the Thessalonians in the previous verse, “And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith.” Paul wants this young church to be very clear that they all will encounter adversity and unfaithfulness in those around them. This is no less true for us today. We don’t do our children any favors by needlessly removing the stings of betrayal or buffering the cost of being a disciple of Christ. Paul knew all too well the cost of following Christ would involve carrying a cross before a crown. The winds of adversity force tree roots to grow deeper, making them stronger and more able to thrive. We are fitting our kids for heaven and as Romans 5 says, “suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character and character, hope.”
- Consistently point our children’s eyes to the only Faithful One. Psalm 121 begins with “I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from?” The psalmist began this psalm with his eyes looking down on his way up to Jerusalem, but something alarming happens and now he is looking up. It is uncertain whether he is either looking to the hills as the source of the alarm or he is looking to the hills for a source of salvation but either way, trouble comes and he is searching for help. He is quick to reveal where he looks to for help; the One who made the hills. So whether the hills are the source of trouble or the source of help, the psalmist recognizes God is in control of both. As our world continues to struggle under the oppression of sin’s faithlessness, we have an opportunity to help direct our children’s attention, not just to the problem and the earthly causes and cures, but to the LORD who sits on His throne in the midst of the trial. They can be faithful and learn to trust because they can learn to trust the faithfulness of the Maker.
- The Lord is faithfully involved in our lives. With our youngest child turning 4 we are purging baby items, but one item has remained in use – the baby monitor. For 9 years this device has been positioned right near our heads guaranteeing we never get a solid night of rest. We are able to monitor our kids and are alerted to their cries of fear when they awake from a nightmare at 2AM. However, knowing we are monitoring from our room has never been much of a comfort to them in the grip of a nightmare. They want more than monitoring, they want to be watched over. They want our presence. Psalm 121 declares 5 times that the LORD watches over His people in order to protect them from all harm. This is not a conflict with my first point that life is full of suffering for the believer, rather a clarification. The LORD promises that if I trust in the LORD no harm comes to my truest self; the self that will live forever with Him. We are able to receive difficulties, not as an end in themselves, but as something that has passed through the hand of God.
One very real way we can prepare our students for tomorrow’s challenges is to carefully explore the promises and faithfulness of God. Maybe the people of tomorrow won’t be trustworthy, but because God is faithful we can be faithful. We don’t lift our eyes to people for ultimate security and intimacy but to the Maker of heaven and earth. It is this truth we have the privilege of imparting to this generation.
