Reflections from 2 Timothy 2:22

Looking at the uses of the word "youth" it is easily seen that foolishness, temptation, and lack of understanding are very prevalent in youth. What is it about youth that causes this? I say, inexperience, lack of vision, true knowledge of consequences. This leads me to think that if one is to teach, truely teach a youth to avoid these pitfalls of youth then you need to give them an opportunity to experience the consequences of life. This is not to say that the best deterrent is a taste of a sinful life, or of certain sins. But experience in the heart of vision can substitute real experience. Witnessing the acts of sin in a way that dispels the myths that lead to sins attractiveness; encounter and witness of those presently living out certain consequences of sins. Experiences such as these can give a 'youth' vision of these biblical principles of caution. Our role is not only to bring the Gospel and scriptures to 'youth' but to use the Gospel and scriptures to ignite the imagination. It is imagination that is lacking in tea resources of 'youth'. Youth need to be able to see it in their own life not just cognitively comprehend, but spiritually, personally, pragmatically connect God's message to their lives, their context, their understanding of the world. Is it a surprise that in the progression of our human depravity and consumerism in this country that at the same developmental stage that the brain is becoming alive and major cognitive building blocks are being formed is the same age that the realm of adulthood is impatient with wandering attentions and dreaming 'youth' that the response is to drug them and find any way possible to 'get them to pay attention and behave'? May be one of the best things that we, as post youths, could do is to create a space where 'youths' can exercise their imagination. Yes, 'youth' needs to take advantage of the wisdom of thoe that have gone before them. But it will invariably fall of deaf ears if it does not become apart of their concept of reality. [I do not intend to imply that in this age we need to have any certain tolerance of post-modernism or subjectivity, just that each person is created individually and we need to be mindful of that difference and uniqueness.]2Timothy 2:22 & Proverbs 7:7