WEDNESDAY'S WORD on THURSDAY - PRECIOUS - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

THIS SUNDAY WE WILL WORSHIP WITH  BOND HILL UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH at 10:45 AM 4909 Paddock Road Cincinnati OH 45237

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"Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself."
-Walter Anderson, German Writer

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." - Marcus Aurelius These are challenging times. In the past 10 days, I've experienced 4 funerals. The shooting in Florida has left us all aghast. Racial and political tensions, #metoo revelations, the stripping of benefits for the poor, the threat of war, modern day slavery and so many world events are affecting us.
Sadly, the inundation of information and public discussion over the internet and social media has numbed our collective psyche and conscience. This atmosphere is cultivating at best far too many non-empathetic, if not sociopathic youth and adults for whom relationships...and even life itself is not PRECIOUS - of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly; greatly loved or treasured.  This truth is something about which we must pray and act.   

 
On Valentine's day when we celebrate love and life with those we cherish most; thousands of families were ravaged by yet another act of domestic terrorism in a school-the 28th this year. On Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, we as a Country had much for which to repent. Recent events have made me hold my loved ones more closely, and tell them how precious they are to me. The psalmist said, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) Or, "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so we may grow in wisdom." (NLT) Life is precious. It is to be valued, not treated carelessly.

I asked some youth last night, "Why is life no longer precious your peers?" They mentioned over exposure through various sources of media. Our children have seen thousands more shootings, assaults of all kinds, foul language and inappropriate situations than we did at their ages. As we grew up there seemed to be higher levels of propriety in social discourse and conduct. Our news cycle was days...not moments.  Every person could not instantly post thoughts and video worldwide. We had newspapers, magazines, and 5 TV channels. Censors decided what we should and should not be exposed to. Our youth cited overwhelm and anxiety. An active village of parents, teachers and neighbors brought us perspective, discipline, and insight.
 
One young man said, "The older generation has failed us." The rest of the youth agreed, "They've left a void of wisdom and now we don't know what to do! We've had to learn everything out in the streets.  Now that I'm older, I realize 'they' is US -I've transitioned from pupil to teacher. I'm trying my best, but many Christians have abdicated Biblical and personal responsibility in this area. Paul instructed Titus:

You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.6Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:1-8) 

Are we teaching our young people that they are precious, of great worth, greatly loved and treasured? Are we showing them life is beautiful - not to be wasted, but enjoyed? Do they see us value, nurture and embrace our relationships? Have we invested time in making sure they're ok? Will we drop everything to be fully present to HEAR, guide, and embrace them? If not, we're missing out on something that's very precious and important. We're missing out on Life.