Why are your teen years the best time
to start learning new life skills that you can turn into a ministry
or business? Lets explore four reasons why right now is the best
opportunity you will have in your lifetime.
It's an encouragement to others
There is just something about seeing
productive, bright-eyed young people that endears them to adults.
Perhaps it's because we live in a generation where slothfulness and
irresponsibility is so rampant that when someone with a diligence step
and initiative hand walks in, people take note – especially the
elderly. It gives an older man or woman hope when they meet young
folks who are hard working and cheerful and gives us a wide open
witness to speak about the God we serve. The Bible calls it shining
as lights in the darkness of a perverse and crooked nation.
(Philippians 1:15)
Freedom to fail
Yes, I don't like that word either, but
failure is failure no matter how you paint it and it happens to us all.
There are no guarantees, and sometimes things don't work out despite
our best plans, practices and prayers. The slightly better cousin to
failure is delayed expectation. Delayed expectation is when your idea
takes MUCH longer and costs MUCH more than you originally thought.
This is the greatest reason why many needful businesses and
ministries are never birthed. The risk of not being able to pay
the bills or feed the family was too great if the idea failed. But
while you're still in your father's home at least you will still
have a bed to sleep in even if the idea crashes or takes twice as
long to come into being. Plus, you will also have the love, counsel
and encouragement only a family can give to keep you going. Speaking from experience, this is a blessing worth all
the gold in the world and a priceless advantages of breaking the
trail during your teen years. If the Lord is going to step into your
life and redirect your course with a failed idea let it happen when
you still have a house and meals paid for and the support of a
family's love to get you back on your feet.
Now is when your foundation is being laid
for better or worse
What you do during your teen years is
laying the foundation for who you will be as an adult woman. A lazy
teen will be a lazy woman, whereas a diligent young lady will blossom
into a diligent woman who is praised in the gates. What you sow you
shall reap and there is no time when good seed can be more timely
sown than during your youthful years. Even small efforts will bear
fruit later on.
Another important quality you are
either building or destroying right now is a storehouse of knowledge.
Knowledge by itself will crumble and crash, but when built upon godly
character it becomes a tower of strength. God actually prizes
knowledge so much that He wrote the book of Proverbs so young people
could learn how to value it:
To give subtilty to the simple, to
the young man knowledge and discretion. (Proverbs
1:4)
If
knowledge and discretion are important enough for God to dedicate a
whole book to teaching young folks about it, wouldn't it be wise to
learn to treasure it as much as God does?
You have more time now then you'll
ever have again.
Now is
the best time for you to learn the habits of good time management. If
you can manage your time in meaningful ways while still very young
you'll be that much farther along in the game as an adult. One of the
best ways you can spend this flexible time is seeking God through
prayer and His word. In fact, the one thing that has impacted my life
the most is the habit of stealing away to pour my heart out to my
Heavenly Father and immerse myself in His word. This was a practice I
started when I was twelve years old and it followed me into
adulthood. If there is one thing that will alter the direction of
your future, it is the decision to know Jesus. He can only be known
through time spent talking and listening to Him. Scriptures will come
back to guide you when you have an impossible decision to make and
the instinct of seeking God with every problem that arises will cause
God to direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
The teen years should be a time of
learning and becoming diligent, vision-oriented disciples of Christ.
Now is the time to be learning, doing and being. God has given us
these precious years to lay the foundation for the rest of our lives
and it's our job to be careful stewards of such a trust.
Wow! This was awesome, Kenzi. :) So many excellent points and advice here, and things that we should still keep in mind, even with the teenage years behind us - the last point especially as we still trod the singleness road. :) The "freedom to fail" reminded me of how blessed I am that I have a father who is both willing and able to support me. Instead of me rushing out to get a job at 18, working all day, and coming home exhausted, my father's provision has given me the blessing of staying at home and pursuing writing - which in itself is a long, hard journey, and there are not instant results there. Delayed gratification at times. ;) Thank you for the post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts, Patience! Yes, those of us with parents who are willing to provide that support during the teenage and young adult years don't realize how blessed we are. And you're right, so much of what we learn during our teen years becomes even more important as we mature. :) Thanks for commenting! :)
ReplyDeleteAmen! Great article! I have enjoyed your blog.
ReplyDeletegrace and peace,
pat
Thanks so much for your encouragement, Pat! I pray every post encourages you in your journey with the Lord. Thanks again!
Delete