Date: 4/29/2009
Author: Devin Pickard
Title: Wake Up
Webster's Dictionary defines “ostrich” as “a very swift-footed two-toed bird of Africa and Arabia, with small useless wings, the largest of existing birds, often weighing 300 pounds”. Before looking up the definition, I would have thought for sure that Mr. Webster would have mentioned what is probably the most well known fact about this gigantic bird. I mean, to me, it would be worth noting that something spends half of its life with its head in the sand, oblivious to the world that continues to rotate around it.
This past Sunday we focused on our young people and the struggles they have in their lives. I think that most of us would agree that the youth of today has more temptations and pitfalls than any other generation that has ever lived. That is certainly not to say that we all did not have our own struggles in the days in which we grew up.....but hands down, it was nothing like what we see today. Being a part of the current parenting generation, I shudder to think of what the world climate will be like when my now-five-year-old becomes a teen-ager. The main subject-verse for Sunday morning were the words of the Apostle Paul found in 1 Corinthians 15:33 ..... “Do not be mislead: Bad company corrupts good character”. I have no doubt in my mind that the number one cause of poor decision making in the lives of our teens can be traced back to them hanging out with a crowd who are making the same poor decisions. Now, we must all keep in mind that at the end of the day, whether teen-ager or not, we all have to take responsibility for our own actions.
After the morning services, I had an opportunity to speak with some folks who are teachers in our local school system. They informed me that I would be shocked if I knew all of the various things that the young people of this community were involved in....which by the way....were not just limited to the high schools nor was it limited to just the “non-church-going youngsters”. Furthermore, I was also told that there is generally no shame exemplified by most of the ones who are involved in things from sex to drugs to alcohol to lying and cheating of all kinds. I have heard instances of parents who allow their teens to have live-in boyfriends and girlfriends, as well as ones who allow their children to partake in alcohol at home because “they are gonna do it anyway, so I would just as soon them do it at home”. I also learned a new term ..... its called “pharm parties”. When I first heard that phrase I thought it meant having a party somewhere out in the country where there is a big red barn and a bunch of animals. But I was wrong. Admission to “pharm parties” is the bringing of a random bottle of pills, generally taken from the medicine cabinet of momma or daddy or grandma or grandpa. It could be anything that would range from a bottle of blood pressure or arthritis pills to something like loritab. All of the medicine bottles are then dumped into one big bowl which is then passed around like a punch bowl full of M&M's. The party attendees then pop an unknown pill from an unknown source with what will be an unknown effect. There are others things that the young folks of our fair town are involved in that are far too graphic for me to mention here.....suffice it to say it would make the hair stand up on the back of your neck.
Remember the ostrich mentioned above? Fellow parents, grandparents and guardians.....we have become the new ostrich of our day. It is time for us to get our heads out of the sand, open our eyes, and see what's going on around us with the precious children God has blessed our lives with. And let us not for one minute assume that because our kids “go to church”, that they are somehow exempt from all the negative that life has to offer. I sadly promise you.....they are not. Does this mean we have a bunch of bad kids running around us? No, not at all. It just means that we have around us a group of impressionable beings who want to fit in, be included, be accepted and be loved......somewhere....sometimes worse....anywhere. Don't you think that home would be the best place for those things to occur? We will pray for you.....you please pray for us....and most importantly, pray for these who we once rocked to sleep cradled in our arms.
Go the extra mile - Devin