Teen Talk

I seldom get nostalgic for my lost youth (not for any amount of cash would I be 15 again) but now and then my teenagers and their friends make me reflect a bit on where I was then vs. where I am now.

Right now Jesse's friends are "into" church issues. They get very fired up about The Rules With No Scriptural Basis, The Lack of Life and Vitality in some Sunday services by Pastor ******* or Father *******, The Shallow Values Among Some People, Why Aren’t We Reaching Out to the World, and so on.

It's the same things we talked about as teenagers but never close to where an adult might hear.

I get in on more of their discussions because I'm the "cool Mom." They come to see Jesse and hang out watching movies, playing basketball and talk.

So there they are, heatedly batting around the same ideas that we used to discuss. And, no doubt, they have a horror of ever getting as complacent and satisfied as all those 40 and 50 somethings in church (like me) who live their pleasant lives and don’t make a fuss about anything and never think or discuss any Deep Thoughts…just like I used to look in disdain at the older people in church.

So, what happened? Well, a number of things.

1. Life got more intense. It’s hard to get heated up about Complacency in the Church when you’re nearly out of money and your child needs his seizure medication and how are you going to afford it plus groceries besides?

2. The church became something that I desperately needed rather than something I could dangle at the fringes of my life, examining and criticizing at will. I changed churches. I still love the Catholic Faith but I needed something more.

3. I learned that only time and the Holy Spirit can change people and situations. All of my fine, yes, brilliant, logic makes no dent on people’s opinions.

4. God took my focus off the church and how it should change and put the spotlight on me and how I needed to change. Aarrgghh. It was way more fun to criticize the church than myself.

I love these teens and their energy and ideas and fearlessness. When they become old and complacent like me, God will raise up a new generation of teenagers to spark ideas and light fires and inspire those deep discussions.