The Very Real Struggles of Young People
Bereans,
Since Berean Covenant Church is hosting a biblical counseling training workshop this weekend, I thought I would share some articles related to counseling. The first is from recent data showing the alarming percentage of teen girls who struggle to relate to the world around them. American children are born into an increasingly secular culture, with no biblical or moral framework to guide them.
As a result, they cannot mentally or spiritually process and interpret their own experiences or the information they receive from the outside world. The pressures are too much for their young minds to handle without the compass of Scripture and a biblical worldview to guide them, therefore they succumb to hopelessness and despair.
"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, 'I have no delight in them'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1). The psalmist says that putting our hope in God is the remedy to a downcast soul (Psalm 42:5).
Article: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/teen-girls-struggling-mental-illness-record-levels-many-persistently-sad-data-reveals
When young people--or anyone, for that matter--do not find their hope and identity in Christ, then they will search for meaning in some type of identity that makes them feel valued. It is a characteristic of youth that young people are prone to be man-pleasers. The fear of man runs deep for those in their teens and twenties. Countless studies and surveys consistently find that these age groups, above all others, desperately seek approval and want to be accepted. Proverbs 2-8 are warnings from a father to a son to avoid the snares of evil that entice those in their youth. Particularly powerful is the warning to "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
Despite their claims to be oppressed and marginalized, the media, government, social institutions, and media influencers have made the various identities of the sexually confused the new, fashionable trend. It is "cool" to be homosexual, transgender, or any other alternative sexual identity. Among the young, these lifestyles gain acceptance, attention, and praise. Those who embrace alternative sexual identities are hailed as being brave, authentic, courageous, and proud. Being associated with all of these accolades is very tempting to impressionable young minds.
It should not be a surprise then, that when only 4-5% of the general population identifies with a sexual perversion, now as many as 40% of young people in certain demographics embrace these lifestyles. Apart from Christ, they will continue to search for meaning in the hollow, fleeting approval of others.
Article: https://redstate.com/alexparker/2022/12/20/report-nearly-40-percent-of-liberal-arts-students-now-identify-as-lgbtq-n676162
Pray for the young people in our church and nation. They need to look to Christ for their identity, not their sexuality, skin color, social status, or anything physical.
Grace and peace to you,
J.W.
Since Berean Covenant Church is hosting a biblical counseling training workshop this weekend, I thought I would share some articles related to counseling. The first is from recent data showing the alarming percentage of teen girls who struggle to relate to the world around them. American children are born into an increasingly secular culture, with no biblical or moral framework to guide them.
As a result, they cannot mentally or spiritually process and interpret their own experiences or the information they receive from the outside world. The pressures are too much for their young minds to handle without the compass of Scripture and a biblical worldview to guide them, therefore they succumb to hopelessness and despair.
"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, 'I have no delight in them'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1). The psalmist says that putting our hope in God is the remedy to a downcast soul (Psalm 42:5).
Article: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/teen-girls-struggling-mental-illness-record-levels-many-persistently-sad-data-reveals
When young people--or anyone, for that matter--do not find their hope and identity in Christ, then they will search for meaning in some type of identity that makes them feel valued. It is a characteristic of youth that young people are prone to be man-pleasers. The fear of man runs deep for those in their teens and twenties. Countless studies and surveys consistently find that these age groups, above all others, desperately seek approval and want to be accepted. Proverbs 2-8 are warnings from a father to a son to avoid the snares of evil that entice those in their youth. Particularly powerful is the warning to "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
Despite their claims to be oppressed and marginalized, the media, government, social institutions, and media influencers have made the various identities of the sexually confused the new, fashionable trend. It is "cool" to be homosexual, transgender, or any other alternative sexual identity. Among the young, these lifestyles gain acceptance, attention, and praise. Those who embrace alternative sexual identities are hailed as being brave, authentic, courageous, and proud. Being associated with all of these accolades is very tempting to impressionable young minds.
It should not be a surprise then, that when only 4-5% of the general population identifies with a sexual perversion, now as many as 40% of young people in certain demographics embrace these lifestyles. Apart from Christ, they will continue to search for meaning in the hollow, fleeting approval of others.
Article: https://redstate.com/alexparker/2022/12/20/report-nearly-40-percent-of-liberal-arts-students-now-identify-as-lgbtq-n676162
Pray for the young people in our church and nation. They need to look to Christ for their identity, not their sexuality, skin color, social status, or anything physical.
Grace and peace to you,
J.W.
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