I've realized that my recent novellas on Generation Me are probably a little overwhelming to people. When we go to read a blog post, we don't expect it to take us a half an hour to read!! So, I do apologize for this and have decided to conclude my little posts on GenMe by summing them up into one last essay.
As a result of Generation Me's focus on self and individualism, much of what was expected of young people in the forms of marriage, children and gender roles have been skewed and cast aside.
Because of the drive of individual goals or dreams, marriages today are typically one of two things: divorced quickly or belated. Married couples expect too much of each other before they unite- I expect my mate to meet all of my needs, while I continue to selfishly pursue my agendas. Husbands and wives live separate lives under the same roof. No wonder there is divorce! And many people are delaying marriage as long as they can so that they can "fulfill their own personal dreams and goals" before being "tied down" to marriage.
The purpose of marriage isn't getting your needs met by another human or having some big Barbie wedding, it is to bring glory to God. Marriage expresses the gospel to the world. Christ, the Bridegroom, gives His life for His bride, the Church and in return she seeks to serve Him all of her days. Marriage is about the gospel and about giving and sacrificing, not about getting. When we look at it this way, it gives us great and new perspective and motivation for getting married early (if it's possible and part of God's plan) and sticking it out to the end!
Generation Me is part of the "I am woman, hear me roar" mentality. I remember growing up submerged in the boy bashing, girl power that pervades the heart and minds of every tween and teen girl and grows into a masculine, control-oriented woman. (Pardon me, by true femininity is one of my hobby horses, so to speak.) Setting all of that selfish, me me me, don't trample my rights mentality aside, we can simply view femininity as an opportunity to serve. After all, we are all called to serve one another as followers of Christ, so why should serving men be viewed as any different. And when it comes down to it, Jesus served us to the point of death. Do we somehow thing we are above that?
The last issue in this GenSelf movement is the delaying or even absence of children. Couples get married and decide to wait to have children or even decide they don't want children. Instead they by a big house with fifty rooms in it and fill it with.... stuff. Okay, that's another hobby horse of mine. I understand that some physically can't have children, and I am not talking about them when I refer to the lack of children. I'm referring to the couples who purposefully don't have children because they want to have "freedom" to pursue their own lives and not to be "tied down" to the nursery in such mediocre pursuits. As if fostering creativity, godliness and productive passion in the lives of another human being, via motherhood, is a mediocre pursuit! Ha!
Generation Me is part of the "I am woman, hear me roar" mentality. I remember growing up submerged in the boy bashing, girl power that pervades the heart and minds of every tween and teen girl and grows into a masculine, control-oriented woman. (Pardon me, by true femininity is one of my hobby horses, so to speak.) Setting all of that selfish, me me me, don't trample my rights mentality aside, we can simply view femininity as an opportunity to serve. After all, we are all called to serve one another as followers of Christ, so why should serving men be viewed as any different. And when it comes down to it, Jesus served us to the point of death. Do we somehow thing we are above that?
The last issue in this GenSelf movement is the delaying or even absence of children. Couples get married and decide to wait to have children or even decide they don't want children. Instead they by a big house with fifty rooms in it and fill it with.... stuff. Okay, that's another hobby horse of mine. I understand that some physically can't have children, and I am not talking about them when I refer to the lack of children. I'm referring to the couples who purposefully don't have children because they want to have "freedom" to pursue their own lives and not to be "tied down" to the nursery in such mediocre pursuits. As if fostering creativity, godliness and productive passion in the lives of another human being, via motherhood, is a mediocre pursuit! Ha!So, as all things in life, it comes down to choice: will we feed on the desires of self-gratification and self-glorification, or will we humble ourselves, as our Lord and Savior did, and seek to meet the needs of others? Youth, use your life now to further the cause of Christ, be it in the small, unnoticeable ways or on a grand scale! I wish I had dedicated more of my time as a teenager to the things of God, rather than vain investments. But, it is NEVER too late to commit your works to the Lord.
A man's heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
~Proverbs 16:9~
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