I bet you young people sometimes have problems to solve and decisions to make. When you want good advice, who do you call, email, or go see? Who has God given you to help you? Don’t answer out loud . . . just think your answers.
Ndeba models priorities for me. When I examine my life and make important decisions, I find myself thinking of Ndeba. I ask, “How would she respond to this situation?” “Would she prioritize the same things I am?” “Would she be worried about this?” I don’t know her well and she may not remember me, but she is helping me think more rightly and I will not forget her.
What about you? Is there anything you need to learn? Would a role model help? Or, who can help you stop doing what you know deep down you shouldn’t be doing? Keep thinking.
Whose voices do you hear when you’re faced with making tough decisions? It’s possible you’ve never met these people and/or they might already be dead. My grandpa died over 10 years ago, but I still think about him often. He was a great man. He was wise and always more concerned for others than himself. When I have decisions to make, I sometimes ask myself what my grandpa might have done in a similar situation. Thinking about what he might say about my thoughts and feelings helps me do things right. Whose voices do you hear?
If you invited five or six people over to advise you, who would you invite? Who are the people God has given you who can help you be the person He wants you to be? Remember, they can be dead or alive and it’s possible that you’ve never met them. It’s also possible they’re related to you or your best friends. Please make your list.
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If no one brings it up, I ask who listed their pastor. This always leads to an excellent discussion. Then, I ask how many listed God, Jesus, and/or the Holy Spirit. Those who did, respond enthusiastically. Christians who didn’t, immediately recognize they should have. (I begin by limiting them to only five or six people so they list their advisors and not just their friends, but now they can expand their list by adding these.)
Listening for God’s voice and searching His Word when we have decisions to make, problems to solve, and changes to implement indicates growing maturity. I praise God for the young people who have already learned that and for every adult who has helped them.
When children and teens also choose to listen to Old Testament and New Testament heroes, I’m deeply encouraged. For example, the spiritual maturity of a group of middle school and high school girls was obvious when they included the following heroes, without any hint from me that they should: Daniel, David, Esther, Sarah, Ruth, Paul, Job, Mary (the mother of Jesus), Mary (who sat at the feet of Jesus), and Caleb. Their in-depth reasons for choosing them were humbling.
What kind of a person do you need to be so children and teens will think of you in the context of this exercise and willingly list you with confidence?