Last night here at KIVU, we threw a Wizard of Oz party. Isn't that Crazy? Isn't that Wild? Teenagers who dress up like the Tin Man, the Lion, and lots of Dorothys can have fun!! I know that flies in the face of popular logic, but it's true. You don't need all the ills of youth to have a good time. We can dance, create characters, and even do a little talent show for those who need a little courage.
Of course we don't make anyone do anything they don't want to do, but an empty stage is awfully tempting to 100 teenagers.
We played the section of Wizard of Oz where the lion talks the big game, but in the end he's just as insecure as the rest of the characters. Even more so in some circumstances. And that's what I'm dwelling on today. Courage and the lost art.
I've noticed more and more teenagers seem less likely to risk. They do this cost/benefit analysis of every action as they contemplate the do-ability, and I think we're loosing something. The guys don't want to be embarrassed. The girls don't want to be seen as too pushy. There's something going on in the next generation where putting yourself "out there" is seen as less than useful.
Again, I know you've read as I've written this before, but it is NECESSARY to encourage kids to take a little risk. When in life do you have less to loose than when you're a teenager? There's so many different personality traits you can awaken if you just give it a try.
Will you fail? Probably.
Will you learn? Definitely.
Will you do it better next time? Most Assuredly.
Courage is looking at a risky situation in the face, and staring it down. It's buying into an idea to see if it works. I feel like maybe the consumer mentality has taken over, and we all just want to sit and "be" entertained. But if we take a little risk, we might find that we are indeed the entertainers.
The same thing holds true with faith.
Unless you're wiling to risk getting out of the way, how in the world can you expect God to work in your life? Unless you're wiling to pray for something BIG, and I mean REALLY BIG, how can we expect God to answer? Or, let me put it this way, unless we start thinking in a Kingdom mentality, how can we expect God to move as we've tried to frame our own destiny before God has a chance.
(This is not a sovereignty issue, but rather; a free will discussion. There you go all my Calvinist friends. That ought to make your head spin a bit. HA!)
But really, take some time to think about courage. If you have it, give it away to a generation who needs a shot in the arm. We need to train our young people to be Courageous as they try to do the right thing.
