rMag

A Word... On Our Prime

Veronika Walker

Wow. High school has flown by, hasn’t it? Or maybe it’s the first year of college that’s now under your belt. Either way, June’s usually the time of the year when we get to start “chilling” … or maybe not. Now we get to make all those “big decisions.”

Believe it or not, this is the time most people long for, both as kids and as parents. Both parties wish they could get to or back to this point in their lives, when they can pursue their dreams to their heart’s content, make big plans, make their own mistakes, and live their lives without a care in the world.

The problem is … those of us who are actually at this point often feel, well, stuck. We’ve graduated high school or college, begun our summer vacations, and are enjoying our time off. But then, as the summer closes, we get that tingly feeling in the back of our heads: What happens now? What do I do in September? Do I go back to school, do I get a job, do I go on extended leave until I can figure out those answers?

Ironically, this is what people refer to as “the prime of life.” Yep, all this confusion is what our siblings look forward to and our parents remember with delight. This is our “prime.” Not exactly what we had in mind, right?

Thankfully, we do have answers, though. God’s Word tell us to “put our hand to the plough.” Of course, it’s speaking primarily of giving your life to Christ and following His commands, but the truth still applies to every-day life. That’s what we’re supposed to do in every situation: follow His lead. That even means in high school, college, or career choice. He does give us the answers.

And the main one is to serve Him. Period. This – right here, right now – this is the time in our life when we can give our all into serving God: we don’t have spouses, children, or homes to care for; we have only ourselves to trip up and blame. It is of us that Paul said:

…He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord — how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world — how he may please his wife…. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world — how she may please her husband. (1 Corinthians 7:32-34)

Marriage and family are wonderful things to aspire to, of course … but they can also be distracting. As teens, and singles, we can put our all into sharing the Gospel, into living out God’s will for our lives. We just need to sit back, pray, and then seize the opportunities He provides.

In this issue, our writers – unintentionally, but Providentially – have each offered us some insight into this vital time of our lives. They offer similar challenges to us: How do we seize these “prime years”? How do we learn discernment, self-denial, faith, and trust in God? How do we regenerate ourselves?

One specific way to do so, of course, is through prayer. Matt Ahearn offers encouragement in this area in his second installment of his “Retro Christian” series, analyzing what the Apostle Paul had to say on this vital aspect of the Christian life.

One article in particular that offers guidance for the high school graduate is Jennifer Duff’s, “On Your Mark … Get Set … Graduate!” in our Practically Speaking colummn.

Cheri Anderson of Verity Institute offers us a personal story of her teenage years, demonstrating the result of ignoring many of the things brought out in this issue, including prayer, discernment, and parental obedience in her article, “Journey of the Heart”.

In “The High Cost of Low Standards,” Daniel Knudsen warns us to be aware of how our opinions are formed; they’re often traceable to the movies we watch. He offers an intelligent perspective of the subtle worldviews displayed in Hollywood, so cunning we often don’t even realize that we actually believe them.

A special aspect of this issue is that we have several returning ROCers as well, including long-time favorite Karen Kovaka, ever-popular for her literary thoughts on Rhetorical Rhesponse, now writing on our attitude towards lost humanity in “Learning to Care.” Accompanying her return is Hännah Schlaudt, lending her writing talents to provide us with our first book review, Karl Graustein’s Growing Up Christian.

This is the time to seize the culture for God; let’s go out there and regenerate, change, conquer the culture, and ourselves.