some eight or nine years ago, i used to look at the teenagers at covfel on sunday mornings and at what is now known as compass, and i would just be in awe. they were so cool, so big (like the i-can-beat-you-to-crap-you-little-squirt kinda big that was o so very intimidating for a short and puny asian child like me at the time), so tall, and so Godly (i didn't exactly know the true meaning of that back then, but i now know that most of them have set great examples that they still live out today). they left a huge impression on me, just an eight year-old kid. i wanted to be like them, but i thought to myself that it would take forever to even reach that age and time of life.
well, here i am, going into my third year of highschool. it felt like forever to get to this stage, but looking back, it feels just like a blink of an eye. but now i'm only two years from heading to college. i'm practically just like one of those teenagers i wanted to be like (but not necessarily as cool, big, tall, and Godly ;)).
realizing this shocked me. it made me think - are there kids who--just like me those eight years ago-- are watching me and my grade and how we live out our lives? if so, are we setting a good & Godly example for them to look up to? that struck me, and it struck me hard. if anything, it would appear that i'm living for myself - certainly something i wouldn't want a young child to take as an example. i'll be a senior soon, and it'll be a perfect opportunity to set a Godly example for the lower grades to follow. i want to --i need to-- live a life magnifying Christ's saving work on the cross out of my gratefulness, primarily so that God is glorified, but also so that others may benefit from the emphasis on what Jesus has done. kids shouldn't think of me and my friends as mere teenagers. no, they should see Christ first and foremost in our lives, and then see us as who we are.
so what - or who - are you living for? kids are watching, whether you want to admit it or not. when you die, will you be remembered as someone who lived for yourself, or will you be known as someone who lived for Christ? are you setting an example that is God-glorifying or self-glorifying? kids aren't always going to look up to their parents as their examples (which they should, of course); as they are shaped as individuals, a great part of them growing up is watching older kids and their peers, subsequently copying and taking in attitudes, habits, etc. from those examples. we need to set humble and Godly examples for these boys and girls - they are our future. we can be a part of shaping that future; let's show them that it can be cool to follow Christ. let's show them that it can be cool to talk about Godly things. let's show them that it's an important thing to not be focused only on ourselves. let's live God-glorifying lives, not just for them, but also more importantly, for us.
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