SUMMARY-- If you google teen rebellion, you will get 763,000 results; troubled teens will result in 2,310,000 results and for a whopping 72,700,000 results you will need to type, teenage problems in to the search engine. 75 million hits for these three searches? Lets explore this topic more in-depth.
STORY-- Read the following quote: The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.
This is an interesting quote, but what makes it even more interesting is that it was written by the Greek philosopher Socrates in 399 B.C. Yes, 399 B.C., before cell phones, texting, television, instant messaging, Facebook, childhood obesity and all the other adolescent issues plaguing our society today. If Socrates was having issues with the teenagers of his day, imagine what the poor guy might think today!
The truth of the matter is simple, rebellion and teenagers seem to go together as natural as bread and butter or in their terms, as natural as Facebook and Twitter.
And although society tells us that rebellion is a normal part of growing up, God says in I Samuel 15:23 that, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, bottom line God is not a fan of rebellion at any age or state in life. Most parents are also not big fans of rebellion and work very hard to curtail it when it rears its ugly head.
Pastor Tom Nye of First Baptist Church of Berlin realizes the dangers and issues that surround teenage rebellion, but sees all rebellion as the same sin regardless of the individuals age.
Honestly, teenage rebellion is no different than adult rebellion, Nye shared. Both adult and teen rebellion exhibits attitudes and actions that displease and disappoint God.
Nye also cautions parents to teach submission from an early age so that rebellion does not take such a strong hold as a teen develops. He believes that children learn much about attitudes and behaviors from watching and studying their parents and other adults.
Unfortunately adults often times set a bad example for young people, Nye added. There are instances where adults disobey or show disrespect for the authorities that are over them, such as God, their employers, their pastor, their own elderly parents. Sometimes adults show disrespect to their spouse, a teacher, a coach or a neighbor. The truth is, kids are always watching and learning from our behaviors so as adults we need to remember that and take it into consideration.
Seeds of rebellion come in many packages. Children today are exposed to an overload of media, communication, instant gratification, technology not to mention a large influence from Hollywood and music. Nye thinks if parents can make God the center of their lives and stay actively involved in their childs life it will make a difference.
Any child may choose to rebel, he said. But keeping God at the focus of your family will make the situation better than it would be without Him. Teens today live in a very unique sub-culture. Many have parents that are out of the loop. Some teens today have replaced the mentoring that parents once offered with the advice of other inexperienced and confused teenagers just like themselves. When you add to this situation the culture of music, lewd entertainment, MTV, fashion, Hollywood and so on it spells trouble. The world is dictating the morals and worldview of many teens and adults today when God and His Word should be dictating these things.
One Christian author and youth specialist, Tim Sanford also thinks that parents should recognize where the rebellion is coming from. Sanford thinks that sometimes teens are not rebelling per se but are just attempting to grow up.
The realization that your teen is "in the process of moving away from you" carries with it a blend of panic and relief, Sanford writes. There's panic in feeling a loss of control, and there's relief in knowing that your teen is in healthy pursuit of an independent adult life. Recognize that you're not alone in your struggles as a parent during this process, and be open to seeking outside support or counsel. Focus on finding what exactly motivates the rebellion in your teen, then commit to prayer and forgiveness as the first steps in restoration.
Nye agrees that prayer is a powerful weapon against rebellion and encourages all parents to cover their teen in prayer everyday.
Prayer moves God, Nye said. We should always hold our children up in prayer and make sure we give them a godly example to follow. The teen years are difficult and sometimes the world and society adds to that difficulty. Trusting God and prayer can make a difference.
If your teen is going through a rough time, remember, dont panic, stay on their team and be there for them, dont give up on them, commit everything to God and trust in His wisdom regardless of how hard it gets. An old proverb whose author is unknown states, this too shall pass, every trial in life will work itself out eventually in some way, whatever struggle youre facing with your teen today, shall pass.
