Articles
Young Adult Issues
A few weeks ago we offered some thoughts on mid-life issues. This week we lower our aim to young adults in their twenties-thirties.
Young singles. If a college path is chosen, those in their early twenties are not only doing research and studying for exams but often working part-time jobs, exploring their new-found independence and dating. It can be a dangerous time for one’s faith because of the sheer volume of activity. “Urgent” projects, along with impulsive fun, time mismanagement and lack of parental accountability can easily weaken commitment to the Lord. Another stressful part of this age is the search for a mate, finding a person with the qualities that one can confidently build a marriage upon. The expectations of others, and even self-imposed pressure when peers are marrying, can laden with emotional baggage that saps the joy of living.
Young marrieds. When “Prince Charming” does come along, the emotional hype often gives way to the harsher realities of life: maintaining living space; providing life’s necessities; finding a satisfying job; repaying college loans; adjusting to the rigors of parenthood. As the daily grind descends, one realizes that a good portion of life is simply meeting obligations. Life is hard work; it isn’t always the fun-loving, free-wheeling party we once enjoyed. For those emotionally immature and spiritually ungrounded, this can be so disturbing that marriages are destroyed. I know several young adults raised in Christian households whose marriages didn’t survive their twenties.
This article is too short to comprehensively deal with all the issues of early adult life, but I’ll suggest the following three overarching principles:
1) “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth” – Ecc 12:1. Resolve to let nothing and no one come between you and God. It is so easy to drift thinking that there will be time later to serve God or you must become “established” before attending to spiritual things. But to be truly whole and healthy the Lord must be the cornerstone of life even as we seek to establish career, marriage, economic soundness, etc.
2) “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them …” – Mt 7:12. In other words, learn how to treat people right. There can be so much drama, snobbery, exclusion and selfishness among young adults. The reasons may be many, but none of them are valid in light of how Christians should treat each other. And if those attitudes are brought into a marriage, it will flounder and capsize.
3) “Do not love the world or the things in the world …” – 1 Jn 2:15-17. Let’s face it, it is hard to resist the marketing geniuses of Madison Avenue. An arbitrarily chosen standard of living can overwhelm good judgment leading to overwork, credit card debt, neglect of family, general anxiety and a host of other issues. Done correctly, our twenties and thirties can be immensely rewarding and set the tone for later years. Jesus said, “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock …” (Mt 7:24). But remember, Satan is crafty. If we’ve never seen a flood, and beachfront property is desirable, it is tempting to commence building in the dunes.
