Growing up in the ’80s, I can remember those days when my mom would be cleaning house and playing the stereo so loudly that she could hear it over the vaccuum cleaner. As I laid on the couch never thinking to help her, I would attempt to turn the TV up even louder so that I could still hear SportsCenter over Mom’s blasting stereo and vaccuum. Well since then, a lot about me has changed. I think ( i sure hope) now that I would vaccuum for my mom and allow her to rest.
But one thing I remember clearly from those days is one of the songs my mom played so loudly. Its been 23 years (1985) since Whitney Houston put out that great song “Greatest Love of All” and somehow I still know all the lyrics.
What I learned though comes from the first line “I believe that children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.” I agree with this line of the song. Children are our future. They are the future of our families, future of our country, future of our schools, and future of our churches. The things we treasure and stand for now are totally dependent in the future upon the next generation. And I am mostly writing concerning our churches, our faith. We must, absolutely must, we gotta, we have to, teach them well and show them how to lead the way. If not, our churches will fall to laziness, half-heartedness, apathy, and indifference.
Over the last five years, God has really impressed this truth upon my heart. Young people are so important. May we not overlook them. Please do not overlook them or minimize them or underestimate them. Remember, Paul wrote to Timothy encouraging him to “set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” …in his youth.
I hope we believe that children are our future and that you will work to teach them well and let them lead the way.
-J Greene