pastorrudytlc

What was once a sought after quality, one that was respected, admired and even revered, today has taken a backseat to a generation that doesn’t know how to say “No.”  Unfortunately we have become a Society that has forgotten what it’s like to sacrifice, what it means to commit and how important it is to be open to receiving correction. Rarely do I witness anymore a Man or a Woman choosing to do the hard thing rather than opting for the easy way out.  Faith at its core is all about delaying temporary gratification to wait for an eternal treasure that God has promised us is coming. I don’t want to give up the glorious forever for the fleeting here and now.

Today I want to share with you the words of a young Counselor who has just begun his ministry. He went out on a limb and listed what he believed were the 10 biggest reasons for why he thought this present generation was the most difficult to disciple into a committed and mature relationship with Jesus. He knows the kids are not the only ones to blame. We Parents have actually hurt our children in many areas where we thought we were helping them, we in reality harmed them!

HERE IS HIS TOP TEN LIST:

• We are used to being spoon fed everything. Everything is too convenient for our generation; our parents are not the only ones at fault in this situation as Society is the culprit as well. We understand that our parents wanted to give us the life they never had, but that may just be the problem. We have been coddled from birth in this perfect bubble where we get what we want, when we want.
• We seek recognition for the dumbest things. From doing well on a test and demanding a sticker; to getting a good report card and expecting our parents to buy us a gift. And the worst of the bunch, everybody winning a trophy just for showing up and being on the team! This reward system has caused us to seek attention for everything that we do. Now no task can be done without our seeking some sort of reward for it; for example: even when we do tasks that are normally required of us at work or in our everyday lives, we seek recognition.
• There has never been an attention-thirsty generation quite like this. From elementary school, we had our teachers and parents kissing up to us and rewarding us for every minor thing that we did.
• We expect to work 9 to 5 and become successful. Becoming successful is going to take time and effort as nothing comes easy in this world. If you truly want to become successful, you’re going to have to go beyond the call of duty in order to show people that you are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals.
• We get too easily offended when someone criticizes us with the intention of helping us improve as human beings. Our generation has to be one of the most pampered and whine-y generations in history. This extends all the way to the manner in which people take criticism. It is impossible to give constructive criticism to people in our generation as we all think that we have the answers to everything.
• We feel a sense of entitlement, as if the world owes us something for being alive. The biggest difference between our generation and the generations before us is that we were raised in a time when this country was thriving economically. In those times, we were given whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted it. This has led to a sense of entitlement with everything that we do.
• We always look for the easy way out.In addition, we all look for the easy way out of things. No one wants to roll up their sleeves and actually get work done, as we are too used to having things served to us our way in our timing. 
• We have to be one of the laziest generations in history. Although we are smart and really skilled, our downfall is that we do not seem to work well in environments that don’t keep us interested.
• We are too easily flustered by the obstacles we face. One of our biggest faults as a group is the way we are easily deterred by obstacles. Instead of facing hurdles with grit and creativity, we allow them to conquer us with a whimper and not a war. What happened to all the people who enjoyed being challenged and solving problems?
• Our Culture rewards stupidity. Has there been a time where stupidity has been rewarded the way it is now? It is hard to believe that people can get national recognition for the dumb things they have done. For example think og Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, The Jersey Shore TV Show Cast, Dating Naked Contestants and Reality Shows. If this isn’t enough to prove this point, look how much attention Miley Cyrus has gotten recently for her wild antics.
• Time Out was our only punishment. Nowadays, it’s considered child abuse if you even lay a hand on your child. This is a problem because we have gone from one extreme to another. The disrespect our generation shows to our elders is the proof of the pudding!
• We live in an era that is too politically correct. I like this! It has come to a point in our society where we have to be extremely cautious with what we say because people have become way too sensitive. You cannot speak freely without offending someone these days and this is really a nuisance. More terms have been labeled as offensive in this generation than at any time! People need to realize that not everything that is said is meant to be offensive, and agreeing with everybody is not a pre-requisite to love.                                                                                    He concludes with this sentence: If we want to change the way things are moving for our generation, we have to break old habits that are keeping us from growing into the well rounded and fully grounded Believers that God intends for us to be!

What do you think? Email me pastorrudytlc@comcast.net I do believe that today is the day to submit to the Lord and be open to what He wants to do in us rather than forcing our own agenda and stamping God’s name on it!