A Lesson in Young Age -Kat

Hello again!

You all don't know me too well, but you may have picked up on (it's okay if you haven't! :) )the fact that I'm a pretty mature young woman. My mom likes to call me an "old soul." Do you guys know what that means? It's sort of hard to explain, but basically it means that my personality (or my "soul") is wise and mature beyond my years. My interests, my values, and some of my choices in friends fall outside the social norm of an average teenage girl. I don't act like an old lady nor have I been through a lot of life experiences, but I understand life and I understand situations that many people my age don't.

When I heard 1 Timothy 4:12 at camp last summer, I really understood why being an "old soul" may not have been as bad of a thing as I originally thought it was. This verse reads, "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (NKJV). Verses 13-16 following this quote are also important, as Paul gives Timothy tips on how to be an example, but maybe first I should give you all a little background on Timothy. Until recently, I never really knew who Timothy was. I'm still no expert on his life, but I have learned a few things about him over the last few weeks.

First, Timothy was raised under the example of his mother and grandmother who both feared God; Paul believes that Timothy's strong faith came from the examples of these women (2 Timothy 1:5).

Second, Paul worked a lot with Timothy and considered him to be "like a son." This can be referenced in several different places, but his referring to Timothy as "a true son in the faith" (1 Timothy 1:2) and "a beloved son" (1 Timothy 2:1) seem to do the point justice. In Philippians, Paul compares his relationship with Timothy to that of a father and a son (Philippians 2:22).

Last, Paul says that Timothy, unlike most other people who could lead the church in Philippi, was concerned with the things of Christ Jesus rather than his own interests and would care for them (Philippians 2:19-23). You see, Timothy wasn't as old as Paul, but Paul had every confidence in Timothy's ability to lead the church.That's why he wrote those words to Timothy, encouraging him to be bold in his youth.      (1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.")

I know, that is a lot of background knowledge. But here is what I want you to pull out from all of this. While I may be young, there are others of you who are younger. I urge you to stay strong in your faith, even in your youth. Paul trusted Timothy with a lot of responsibility even though Timothy was young. I have been guilty of using the excuse that I'm too young; but Timothy is our example. Timothy wasn't too young, and neither are any of us. Paul asked Timothy to be an example, and we should be striving to do the same. When you sit in on a youth class and all the other kids are laughing, talking, texting, and doing other disruptive things in class do you join them? Is sitting in the youth class an excuse to act like a child? It shouldn't be.

As youth, we should be an example to the children below us and sometimes even to the adults above us. When I visit other congregations, I am very rarely impressed with the youth classes. I love the youth classes at my home congregation because they're built in an environment where we as youth are held to a standard. We are all expected to grow in our faiths. We are all expected to ask questions and make comments. We are all expected to hold each other accountable and pick each other up when we need to. Please don't expect anything less from yourself. We are in a world that wants the youth to be without responsibility. But a youth without responsibility will lead to a working class without responsibility: parents, teachers, doctors, and eventually retired senior citizens without responsibility. Hold yourself to Timothy's standard and you will reap the benefits of your hard work.

Keep me in your prayers as I strive to live up to Timothy's standards. I love you all! Have an incredibly blessed week, sisters.

Kat