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A Young Person Sees the Difference
I grew up in a Christian home in which my parents both desired to see me preserved for the Lord as a young person. To this end, my sister and I were sent to a Christian high school that had recently been opened to the public. Young people of various backgrounds flowed through the doors, and as a result, my close friends belonged to several different Christian denominations. At times, our cafeteria conversations would escalate into impassioned theological debates, but we all recognized that we all loved the Lord. Since my young peoples' meetings in the local church were on Saturday nights, my parents allowed me to go to my friends' meetings on Fridays.
To be honest, for a while I preferred Fridays. The atmosphere was quite festive. The young brothers and sisters in the Lord mingled freely together; many were dating. After about twenty minutes we would all troop upstairs for the meeting. A close friend of mine was on the worship committee which chose the fast and exciting songs in advance. After one person opened in prayer, the youth pastor would speak for ten or fifteen minutes and then we were free to pile into the cars, radios blaring, to go and get ice cream down at the pier or rent a movie together. It was exciting to be with them, but when I was alone, my spirit still felt hungry.
In contrast, my Saturdays were much more sober. We all arrived with our Bibles and hymn books. Our meetings began somewhat quietly; the adults wanted us to pick the songs. Our participation was also encouraged in prayer; sometimes we went around the circle of chairs until everyone had had a chance to pray something, while at other times we prayed using the words of a verse from the Bible. The sharing was also mutual; the older ones would speak something from the Word first, then it was our turn. We would frequently memorize verses and recite them to one another. Afterward, we stayed at the meeting hall for chips and soda; even though we had grown up together and were very comfortable around each other, the young brothers and sisters never went out alone. We were encouraged not to date until we were ready to consider marriage; at age fifteen, none of us were at that point! As I prepared for bed on Saturday nights I had an appreciation of my Lord and a wonderful sense of satisfaction deep in my being.
It was not long before I realized that if I wanted to merely have a good time, I could go to my friends' meetings, but if I wanted to grow spiritually and pursue the Lord, I should go to the meetings of the local church. Just as a steady diet of candy will not keep you healthy, many of my dearest friends, feeding on excitement alone, stopped pursuing the Lord by the time they reached their early twenties. In contrast, those of us who received a healthy grounding in the Spirit in the Word Saturday after Saturday have found our love for the Lord sustained and strengthened as the years go by. I am so thankful to have experienced for myself the difference between the young people's meetings my friends attended and those I was in at such a young age.
C.L. | Back to List
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