Is it easy being a teenage christian in today's society?

Shybookwormy

For me the answer is yes... and no. It's easy if you hold steadfastly onto your faith and be firm in your beliefs yet, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak... It's hard because of the influence the world has on the teens of today. It's like every where I turn people tell me that my resistance is futile, wrong and weird and that succumbing to temptation is the right way... And I know that it's not but, how does a young christian survive?

PDN

Trust me, it's never been easy being a teenager.

homer911

By spending lots of time with other young Christians and avoiding situations you are uncomfortable with

Get involved in a Christian Union, Christian Youth club, Young People's Bible Study, a church with lots of young committed christians...

Perhaps if you told us where you are located we could make some suggestions

Jester Minute

It is very difficult to be a teenager and be a Christian. Avoid bad company and bad media and pray a lot and you'll be fine!

I am a young Catholic man and it is very difficult. It is a lonely path, but I take comfort in the fact that Our Lord was also lonely. Let's put it like this: in my whole county I have no close friends* my age who are Catholic.



*Such as would be of mutual support in the Christian life and be on the same path as me.

Jester Minute

Just found this whilst checking a favourite site - might be interesting to all you young ones!

Go With God
An open letter to young Christians on their way to college
http://www.firstthings.com/article/2010/10/go-with-god

Shybookwormy

Thank you all for your suggestions- they mean alot! And I know it's not easy being a teen fullstop... But do you ever get the feeling that you just want to quit being with God, quit being a christian for a moment and just live your life- no worries about sinning and getting to heaven-and then come back to him later in life? Any words of advice?

SonOfAdam

Do you think you will be satisfied in turning away from God and 'stop' being a christian ? I doubt He will make it easy for you to do that - if the Holy Spirit dwells within you try as you might you won't get far enough away to be at peace. I'd also say that nothing will ever compare to the promise you have in Him ... rest in the knowledge that He is God.

homer911

In my teenage years I had this irrational idea that I wished I hadnt been saved so young!

Why couldn't God have saved me when I was a bit older, when I had more to be be forgiven and had "sown my wild oats"?

Of course in God's eyes we have all fallen short of his standard and there is no degree of sinfulness. God saved me at a time in my life when I had an open heart and recognised my own need for him - if God had left it later in my life to speak to me, my heart may well have turned to stone and I would have been lost for ever

Dewdropdeb

Shybookwormy wrote: »

But do you ever get the feeling that you just want to quit being with God, quit being a christian for a moment and just live your life- no worries about sinning and getting to heaven-and then come back to him later in life? Any words of advice?

Been there done that and for the rest of my life I will regret a good 12 years I could have spent as a decent person. But no, I gave in to the pressure of secular society and became a "typical" girl. Not easy to come crawling back in your thirties knowing that you would have had so much more satisfaction in life and actually taken the right path at the right time had you kept your sight on Him and not earthly pleasures. Everything that is considered "normal" in young adults lives today - one night stands, sexual experimentation, excessive drinking, drugs, cursing, jump-on-the-bandwagon atheism, etc etc etc - is just an empty attempt to fill a void that can only be filled from above. Sure, at the time, I convinced myself I was having a good time, doing the right thing, etc etc etc, but the only person I was kidding was myself, like Pilate himself, see link below.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts on my dark years: http://www.conversiondiary.com/2010/11/a-friend-of-the-emperor.html

Stay strong, you will come out the better for it!

God bless!

Jester Minute

Shybookwormy:

Been there, done that. It doesn't work.

Let's take a look at what one saint had to say about this issue, which is really the issue which you raise - why not set God aside for a while, and try out the pleasures of this world?

My love so delights the soul that it destroys every other joy which can be expressed by man here below. The taste of Me extinguishes every other taste; My light blinds all who behold it . . .

—as told to Saint Catherine of Genoa
Spiritual Doctrine, Part III, Chapter VII

Compared to such a love as this, what has the world got to offer? The answer: nothing. Only empty pleasures finding their conclusion in darkness and despair.

We can also learn from St. Augustine, who led a gravely sinful life before he was converted. He sowed his wild oats, and even after he had been found by God, he still struggled, saying,

Lord, make me chaste, but not yet!

But then, in his confessions he wrote two key things, once he had learned the truth:

"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

and also:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.

I learned what Augustine also learned the hard way. A life submerged in the wretchedness of sin is a life wasted, and ultimately lost, without God. Even if you are able to repent and live in Christ (and who can be sure that he will be given such an opportunity before death?), the wounds of sin remain and will be a thorn in your flesh for the rest of your life. I write as a young man who has experienced just what St. Augustine talks about. Better to live the brilliant purity of a Dominic Savio than the sinful life of an Augustine any day!

Shybookwormy

Dewdropdeb wrote: »

Been there done that and for the rest of my life I will regret a good 12 years I could have spent as a decent person. But no, I gave in to the pressure of secular society and became a "typical" girl. Not easy to come crawling back in your thirties knowing that you would have had so much more satisfaction in life and actually taken the right path at the right time had you kept your sight on Him and not earthly pleasures. Everything that is considered "normal" in young adults lives today - one night stands, sexual experimentation, excessive drinking, drugs, cursing, jump-on-the-bandwagon atheism, etc etc etc - is just an empty attempt to fill a void that can only be filled from above. Sure, at the time, I convinced myself I was having a good time, doing the right thing, etc etc etc, but the only person I was kidding was myself, like Pilate himself, see link below.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts on my dark years: http://www.conversiondiary.com/2010/11/a-friend-of-the-emperor.html

Stay strong, you will come out the better for it!

That link was helpful and as I read that piece off the link, I couldn't help but realise that truly is my situation- trying to please both man and God...
Thank you!:D

Shybookwormy

God bless you for that. As I read through all this positive feedback I can't help but feel happy. You are right. And I will try not to stray, a life without God is a life wasted...

Do you have any suggestions on how I woud be able to help my friends accept Christ. I don't want to force anything on them yet I feel I should let them know about God's love but, how can I do this without preaching at them?

Jester Minute

Shybookwormy wrote: »

God bless you for that. As I read through all this positive feedback I can't help but feel happy. You are right. And I will try not to stray, a life without God is a life wasted...

Do you have any suggestions on how I woud be able to help my friends accept Christ. I don't want to force anything on them yet I feel I should let them know about God's love but, how can I do this without preaching at them?

Just live your life joyfully in Christ. Seeing your joy, others will be drawn to Christ through you. This is difficult. It requires living the faith from the heart, not just in the head, really dying to ourselves. To do this, we need to be men and women of prayer, of the sacraments, and of the Scriptures and we also need to study our faith so that we can give an account to others of the hope that is in us. Bad witness by Christians does perhaps more to damage the mission of the Church than anything else. Only an authentic Christian life can have the desired effect on others.

''Through this wordless witness these Christians stir up irresistible questions in the hearts of those who see how they live: Why are they like this? Why do they live in this way? What or who is it that inspires them? Why are they in our midst? Such a witness is already a silent proclamation of the Good News and a very powerful and effective one. Here we have an initial act of evangelization.''

-- EVANGELII NUNTIANDI, 21

Only if we possess the joy that comes to us from knowing Christ can others be attracted to Him through us and our witness.

JimiTime

Some good postings here, so let me just add, that I too rejected LIVING as a Christian for a spell. Actually, I still do to a degree and to my shame and detriment. My spell of debauchery though was from the age of about 16 to 21. Let me also say, that part of the danger, is that it was VERY enjoyable. To mirror your sentiments, it DID feel like my Christian concience was a bit of a nuisance. A bit like bringing ones mum everywhere:) Let me also say that i wish to mirror what previous posters have said though. It damages us. This world can be a hard place to live as a Christian, and as a teenager it can be even harder. The peer pressure, the temptations, the desires that you wish to feed which everyone tells you are only natural to feed etc.

Trust what our Creator says, and not what our accuser (Satan) says. He knows what makes us happy, and he knows our needs truly. He can see in a long sighted way, and even if we don't see the benefit now, trust in his advices and they will come good. He tells us that the 'Heart is treacherous'. He tells us this because he knows that we can desire things which can ultimately be destructive to us. The world will tell you to embrace desire, its normal, natural. Don't be oppressed by Christian morality etc. However, the world has no wisdom, for there is NO wisdom outside of God. They cannot see past their own noses for being short sighted, where God knows us intimately. Its great that the posters here have given you their stories, and that they returned to Christ. I can mirror what they said, and say that even though AT THE TIME I thought it was great, I would change every bit of it if I could turn back the clock. Thankfully my concience prevailed at a pivotal moment as a 21 year old, but those 5 years have left scars. Nothing drastic, but still scars that I would not have had if i had trusted in God.

I pray that your journey to adulthood is a Christian one brother. Stay strong, and may Christ be your shield and the barer of your burdens.

TravelJunkie

Shybookwormy wrote: »

God bless you for that. As I read through all this positive feedback I can't help but feel happy. You are right. And I will try not to stray, a life without God is a life wasted...

Do you have any suggestions on how I woud be able to help my friends accept Christ. I don't want to force anything on them yet I feel I should let them know about God's love but, how can I do this without preaching at them?

Don't feel you have preach to them. The best thing you can do is pray for your friends all the time.

You are God's child and he is faithful to us. Be sure that if you are praying for your friends to be saved, or for God to work in their lives, and he will. You can pray that there will be an opportunity whereby they will come to you for advice as well. God will be able to work in their lives through other people as well even if you think that you're the only christian they know.

I used to have a prayer book of people I used to pray salvation for, people I thought were hopeless, 15 years on now and many of them have come to christ! But all of them have heard the gospel.

And most of all remember that God loves you and even if you make a mistake it's okay. He has paid for your mistakes already. All God wants you to do is go to him to help you be stronger. Don't ever feel guilty and draw away from God because of guilt. That is what the Devil wants you to do.

Jesus is the shepherd and he will not lose one of his sheep! You are God's child now and, yes, there will be tough times. But knowing God makes it all worthwhile and He will bless you in your life. Your life is only starting now, and starting your life with God - what a head start!

God will help you get into the courses you want, God will help you get the jobs you want. God will bring you that special Godly someone. You just have to trust him.

x

Jester Minute

TravelJunkie wrote: »

God will help you get into the courses you want, God will help you get the jobs you want. God will bring you that special Godly someone. You just have to trust him.

x

What we desire is not always what God desires for us. His plans often differ from our own. He desires our ultimate happiness for our true selves and therefore we should not presume that He will grant all our prayers exactly as we would have it. But what we truly desire is what God wants for us. In His will is our peace.

Your comment sounds a little too close to the idea of the 'Prosperity Gospel'. Be careful!

Fanny Cradock

Shybookwormy wrote: »

For me the answer is yes... and no. It's easy if you hold steadfastly onto your faith and be firm in your beliefs yet, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak... It's hard because of the influence the world has on the teens of today. It's like every where I turn people tell me that my resistance is futile, wrong and weird and that succumbing to temptation is the right way... And I know that it's not but, how does a young christian survive?

It's not easy. And I'm guessing it never was. There is a certain age in many people's lives - usually around the mid-teens to mid-20's - when religious faith becomes the antithesis to whatever it is you believe. Some grow out of it, while others grow into it. In my own case, I had all but forgotten about God by my mid-teens, and it wasn't until my early 20's that I began to think about God again and begin to ask the difficult questions.

To be perfectly frank, I don't think that it is ever easy to be a Christian. Just as everyday life is full of peaks and troughs, so too is faith. And that makes sense in the same way that saying "water is wet" makes sense.

I think there is a tendency or expectation within certain Christian circles to show an outward expression of unbridled joy. I can only imagine that from the outside this might look not too dissimilar from being in the grip of a manic high. Life 'aint like that. But in an odd way this is something that we can all take strength from - especially with the support of Christ and our faith communities.

I don't know what age you are but perhaps you might enjoy reading Blue like Jazz. It is theologically light, yet the author, Don Miller, manages to recount his spiritual story - those peaks and troughs I mentioned - in an engaging way. (You can read a number of pages if you click the google preview that lies within the above link). I've got a third-hand copy lying around the place if you like. Failing that - I have two other pieces of advice. One, pray. Two, talk to somebody if you can! Preferably somebody young enough to connect with yet old enough to have wisdom.

Jester Minute

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

I think there is a tendency or expectation within certain Christian circles to show an outward expression of unbridled joy. I can only imagine that from the outside this might look not too dissimilar from being in the grip of a manic high. Life 'aint like that. But in an odd way this is something that we can all take strength from - especially with the support of Christ and our faith communities.

Not sure if that comment was directed at anything I said above about joy, but to clarify, the joy I refer to is authentic Christian joy. That doesn't mean going around with a grin on your face or acting all happy and chirpy as if everything is OK or expecting that everything should go just as you like and you should be having things all your way, nice and smooth and pleasant. No, Christian joy, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, is something altogether different. It is a joy that endures through tribulations - trials that strengthen our faith and cleanse us of all that is not love.

“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
(James 1:2–3).

Fanny Cradock

Jester Minute wrote: »

Not sure if that comment was directed at anything I said above about joy, but to clarify, the joy I refer to is authentic Christian joy. That doesn't mean going around with a grin on your face or acting all happy and chirpy as if everything is OK or expecting that everything should go just as you like and you should be having things all your way, nice and smooth and pleasant. No, Christian joy, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, is something altogether different. It is a joy that endures through tribulations - trials that strengthen our faith and cleanse us of all that is not love.

“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
(James 1:2–3).

It wasn't directed at you, Jester Minute. I didn't actually read your post But I appreciate the quote from James. My post was really more of a rant directed at the times I've felt that there is a positive denial amongst some Christians that Christians can go through spiritually barren times or plain old discomfort in their lives. I think we can acknowledge these tough times without diminishing the joy. What I was really trying to say to Shybookwormy was that Christians go though the mill like everybody else.

Piano man

Hi everyone,
I thought I'd throw in my experiences to the thread as well.
I'm a third year college student, and I have to say when I started college, it was a lonely place for a devout Christian. It's hard to be open about your faith when there is a general antipathy towards religion in college, and you're wary of isolating yourself from your peers by seeming too religious.

One thing that kept me going was a youth group I joined called Youth 2000. Though I was still one of the youngest in the group when I joined (I was 18, and the average age was in the 20s) it was great to have that weekly port of call where I could be open about my faith and learn from others.

In second year, things got even better. A lot of people came into my life, directly and indirectly through Youth 2000, who were my own age and also struggling to express their faith in such a secular world. I believe God made humans to learn from each other and to be interdependent on one another on our pilgrimage of life, and the experiences I had with these new friends over the past year have been thoroughly grace-filled, spiritually enriching and with the help of God, I suddenly find myself surrounded by many many young people my own age (20) or so, who support me in my faith and with whom I can have really spiritually fruitful discussions and prayers.
In short, God has surrounded me by saints to help me on my own journey.

I really believe that God will provide the support we need in the faith, because after all, He loves us and wants us to believe and become saints.
So 'ask and you will receive' Mt7:7!
And along with strengthening my faith and my feeling comfortable as a Catholic Christian, I now feel so grateful for the graces I have received that I know I can withstand any challenges that may arise, because I owe God everything, and remaining faithful in spite of spiritual challenges is the least I can do.

God bless

georgieporgy

it is not unusual to find you are the only believer in your group.so that's normal. I think it's a little trick God likes to play on us.it is a bit lonely for the young christian though. Youth 2000 (RCC) is the organisation to click into now I think. it's easy to find- there will be a branch close to your present place of worship. it's a great place to mix with people of Faith.

Or get involved with a pro life group . Go to a few different churches and look around the notice boards at the back of the church. you may find a link that takes your fancy.

Depending on your personality or interests you may feel attracted to developmental organiations like Opus Dei, St john Bosco (Salesians), or Legion of Mary even.

Seaneh

what age are you? If you're in college you could join the CU?

Tim Robbins

I think in your teenage years you should question everything as its the first time your brain can begin to think critically whereas as a child you end up believing everything the grown ups say.

If you wish to remain Christian, without any hassels and stress well then you should hang around with your own type. Read what you want and believe massage your way through live.

However if you enjoy a challenge, and aren't so insecure about your faith, then I would go out of your way to find things that challenge your beliefs. I would take on the most difficult questions possible.

georgieporgy

Oh, and another thing, avoid smooth talking snakes and under no circumstances accept apples from them!

JimiTime

georgieporgy wrote: »

Oh, and another thing, avoid smooth talking snakes and under no circumstances accept apples from them!

He he:) Good way of describing it actually.

Zombrex

Tim Robbins wrote: »

I think in your teenage years you should question everything as its the first time your brain can begin to think critically whereas as a child you end up believing everything the grown ups say.

If you wish to remain Christian, without any hassels and stress well then you should hang around with your own type. Read what you want and believe massage your way through live.

However if you enjoy a challenge, and aren't so insecure about your faith, then I would go out of your way to find things that challenge your beliefs. I would take on the most difficult questions possible.

In fairness I think he was talking about temptations rather than mental challenges.

I'm not a Christian now or when I was in college either yet I still found sticking to moral principles, any moral principles, difficult when you are surrounded by diverse and often contrary moral positions all around you.

Looking back the problem with college is that at the time you think you are the only person who doesn't know what they are doing, where as in reality no one knows what they were doing. You are tempted to follow the lead of others who look like they know what they are doing, or who have convinced themselves they do, but since they don't this can and often ends badly.

Of course not having a clue what you are doing extends to everything including ideology and principles, so I certainly wouldn't be trying to say don't be exposed to new ideas.

Tim Robbins

Wicknight wrote: »

In fairness I think he was talking about temptations rather than mental challenges.

I always see mental challenges as temptations.

You know what they say about curiosity :-)

Jimmy Bottlehead

I used to be like you OP, until I really thought in depth and in realistic terms about God, Jesus, the afterlife, etc. And I discovered that none of it made sense in the real world. Not one shred of proof, and nothing to support it.

Rather than feel let down, did appointed, empty, I instead rejoiced in the fact that this life is all there is, and it is there to be enjoyed. The world is a beautiful, astounding, terrible and wonderful place and it needs no spiritual side to make it more wondrous. Lack of religion does not equate to lack of morals, instead you follow your true self rather than a silly outdated set of rules.

I recommend reading The God Delusion - if you can read it with an open mind, and finish it without questioning your faith (and don't be scared to, nothing true should fear scrutiny and questioning), then you clearly feel you are on the right path.

Good luck

Jester Minute

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

I recommend reading The God Delusion - if you can read it with an open mind, and finish it without questioning your faith (and don't be scared to, nothing true should fear scrutiny and questioning), then you clearly feel you are on the right path.

Good luck

Once you read your (borrowed) copy of that book, you could then read this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Answering-New-Atheism-Dismantling-Dawkins/dp/1931018480/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1289578100&sr=8-1-catcorr