A TIME TO BANISH ANXIETY

It’s probably not a biblical instruction that we have paid much attention to: “Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it” (Ecclesiastes 11:9, NLT). When we see others suffering, it is good that we respond with empathy, but we tend to respond more easily to the suffering of the young. Perhaps we remember our own youthful energy and idealism or simply regard our younger years as a time that ought to be relatively carefree and joyous. So it is particularly arresting when this time of life is blighted by circumstances, fear, or anxiety, as it is for so many young people in the world today.

Even for young people, anxiety can be a serious condition that requires qualified medical care. There are some who experience difficult family and life circumstances that cause anxiety and fear. But many young people today feel increasingly pressured to achieve, to pursue detailed life plans and goals, to look and act in certain ways, to compete, acquire, and post their way into the world. This is the kind of pressure and anxiety we should encourage young people to question and “banish.” Youth is a time of life to experience, discover, and relish the goodness of life, albeit with reasonable limits and guidance. Important choices and influences are developed in these years, but they are often not those that feel most important at the time. To say that “youth and vigor are meaningless” means that they are to be enjoyed, but they are not the things that give meaning to our lives. Either slowly or suddenly, they will be lost, so our lives need to have more substance than merely the strength and enthusiasm of youthfulness.

So “don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator” (Ecclesiastes 12:1, NLT).