Oh! There's The Door

John 10:1-10

I made a comment during a conversation we were having yesterday afternoon which stuck with me for the rest of the day. We were talking about how the culture of today's teenagers is very difficult to understand, let alone adapt to. The focus of the conversation was on a young man, a leader of his class who was chosen by his peers, who decided to boldly defy all authority of the school in a very public way.

The discussion expanded to other students who seem to defy authority in public ways. I added that teenagers have always been defiant towards authority, it's what makes them teenagers. To which the reply was, "Yes, but today's teenagers not only don't understand that there are consequences to decisions, but they disregard the consequences as well." The discussion continued on to point out all of the high school seniors who will not be graduating this year for various reasons; most of which are academic.

Today's teenagers, not all mind you, don't fully understand why there are negative consequences for negative actions. I actually work with one such teenager who doesn't understand why he won't be graduating when for the past two years we've been telling him if he doesn't do his work, he won't graduate. Now, in the final week of school, he has given up because there is honestly no way he can make up the credits needed for him to graduate.

After listening to comparisons between when we were teenagers and today's teenagers I sort of blurted out, "I wonder if today's society is changing too quickly for humanity to adapt to the changes." The conversation stopped cold.

Today's passage from the Gospel of John reminds me to refocus my life on the things which are important and to always put Christ at the center. To be fair, there are a lot more teenagers who are successful in high school than there are those who aren't. What seems like teachers complaining is actually teachers showing their love and compassion for every child they work with. I've been working with teens and adults who work with teens long enough to know that nobody just gives up. What's different between the now and then of maybe 12 or 15 years ago is that finding a way to help the teens who need extra help is becoming more difficult.

Maybe we just have to focus on the things which are more important. How are things at home for them? Do they believe there is a future for them after school? How can we help them regain hope and in what ways can we build self-confidence in them? Are they truly accepted for the people they are and are becoming?

The more I learn about the times of Christ, the more I realize he lived at a time when society was also changing at a rate to quick for humanity to keep up. The people in charge thought it easier to condemn, arrest, torture, and kill those in opposition to the way things always were. However, Jesus came into that world and helped to refocus those who were living without hope on what was truly important: the all-accepting love of God.

The love of God is the doorway to a life filled with peace and joy. At times that door might be difficult to find, but we should never give up looking for it. And, when we find it we should do everything in our power to help others through the door.