Young man, who will you listen to? (10 min.)
When you are a teenager, perhaps you were raised in a Christian home, and the reality is that being raised in a Christian home and being raised in a worldly home is something very different, brothers, very different. In fact, sometimes, when one is young, one thinks that our parents do not understand us or that they are too strict, but we must remember that this world is dominated by Satan, who promotes liberalism, where anything can be done.
However, under Jehovah's standards, this is clearly not the case. For this reason, many young people think that their parents are strict or that they do not understand them. Frustration can sometimes make us doubt that serving Jehovah is the best way to live, but the reality is that if as young people we leave the truth behind, we will soon realize that no one cares about us. In fact, some take advantage of us, at work or in the activities we do. That's what often happens.
So, we do matter to our parents and our brothers in the congregation. Now, the discipline that our parents give us is necessary. Imagine if they never corrected us, would that show that they care about us? Not really. However, many people do not accept discipline because they resent the way it is applied.
This could be true, but we must remember that parents are not born with a manual on how to raise their children. Experience and the passage of time make parents learn, and sometimes it is also based on how they raised them themselves. If you didn't look at the how, you could recognize that there are reasons for them to act that way.
Therefore, we must remain calm and strive to control our reactions. The Bible says that he who has knowledge and discernment must remain serene and calm. So we must aim to be mature people, capable of accepting advice calmly and benefiting from it without worrying too much about how it is given to us.
Having Christian parents who truly love Jehovah is a great advantage to you, and we have no doubt that they want to help us obtain the prize of life.
It is important to remember that our parents are imperfect too. We want to be corrected with kindness and gentleness, and that would be ideal. But let's face it, parents are also in this system of things and are imperfect. Despite that imperfection, they try to help us.
LET'S READ PROVERBS 1:8
Listen, my son, to your father's discipline and do not abandon your mother's teachings.
Therefore, be wise and listen to your parents. Now, what happens when we want to please God and not men? When we are young, this issue can be very complicated. It is not that at other ages it is not, but in youth, it is more difficult. Because? Because we all need friends, and we all like to feel accepted.
In fact, during adolescence, peer pressure can be intense, creating a strong desire to imitate or please others. But here's the point: we want to be part of a group and we want them to recognize us or accept us, but is that in accordance with what Jehovah God teaches us?
We must keep in mind that colleagues do not always want the best for us; Sometimes, they simply want to have someone to do their misdeeds with. When a Christian succumbs to pressure to do something wrong, he or she often hides his or her identity. Therefore, when someone says they are a Christian or a Jehovah's Witness, despite the ridicule, it is very likely that they will leave you alone, because they already know your point of view.
However, normally, if they see potential in you and want you to be part of them, it is because you have not fully identified yourself yet. That is why it is important not to try to imitate the way of life of this world, as the apostle Paul advises in Romans 12:2. Jehovah will provide us with the strength we need to withstand such pressure.
When external pressure threatens to ruin our sense of Christian identity, it is important to remember that our loyalty to Jehovah is far more important than public opinion or popular trends. Yes, this happens especially in youth, but we have had examples of young people, both in the past and present, and it will surely happen in the future, who, despite their youth, have been able to cope with this situation.
LET'S READ EXODUS 23:2
Do not follow the majority of people to do bad things, nor give a testimony that goes against justice just for the sake of supporting the majority.
You should not follow the crowd for evil purposes. When most of the Israelites doubted Jehovah's ability to keep his promises, Caleb steadfastly refused to support them, convinced that God's promises were trustworthy, which brought him abundant blessings.
Are we willing to resist the pressure of the majority and protect our relationship with God? Well, let's hope so. Although we know that sometimes it is not easy, we must remember that what really matters is in our hands. Even if others pressure you, they cannot force you to do something you do not want to do.
LET'S READ PROVERBS 1:10,15
My son, if sinners try to entangle you, do not let yourself be carried away by them.
My son, do not follow in his footsteps. Keep your feet out of their way.
Therefore, do not listen to those who do evil.
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