Not too long ago I heard a statement that inspired this article.

“Fire – uncontrolled - is dangerous.”

The first thing that popped into my mind when I heard it was the youth. Think about it. What words can you think of to describe the young generation? Passion, craziness, creativity, energy, freedom…control? Nope. Our youth is anything but controlled. We value ideologies such as speaking your mind, not holding back, giving it your all, going against the crowd, standing your ground and self-expression to the fullest. It’s called the fire age for a reason. And believe me, these things are beautiful gifts. God desires them for himself. The bible says in Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember your creator in the days of your youth.” But did you know that these awesome gifts can also be used for destruction if they’re not guided by wisdom?

Recently God has been teaching me the value of the “not-so-attractive” things in life that we all need to have. Discipline, persistence, commitment…control. And aren’t those the exact words that come to mind when we think of the older generation? Wisdom, experience, responsibility…control!

Here’s an ingredient we’ve forgotten about on our quest to change the world, the older generation! Sure we think that they’re too uptight, and sure “they don’t get it!” But the truth is, they do. They’ve been there and done that. They weren’t born yesterday, in fact, they were born a while back! They’ve watched the sun rise and set enough times to know that it’ll rise and set the same way tomorrow. They are true gifts from God I am convinced are the keys to bringing our plan of ‘changing the world’ to completion.

They can guide us, share with us their experiences and wisdom so that this precious gift of ours wouldn’t be wasted on worthless things. You could argue that God will give you all the wisdom that you’ll ever need. But maybe the way He does that is to surround you with people you can learn from. Be eager to learn and listen. The devil hates it when we actually listen. He would rather have us complain. No matter your excuses, don’t be fooled. Taming that fire is not a bad thing at all.

I like to think that control and focus go hand in hand. I recall Pastor Z once said, “Power flows where the focus goes.” So there you have it. We need to be focused and tune our ears to what God is saying through the older generation. We need to cast away our stubbornness and pride and learn to be obedient. We must be good at things that aren’t fun to do. We must be 18 year olds with the wisdom of 80 year olds. That way, our time and gift can be used by God fully and efficiently!