Growing Up Too Fast?

November 8, 2009


This morning I’m speaking on “As for Me and My House: Winning the Battle for Your Family” at Faith Bible Church in Vineland, New Jersey based on Joshua’s stirring words in Joshua 24:14-15. In order to show the challenge we face in raising our children to serve the Lord, I compiled a list of things that have changed over the decades. We’re raising our children in a world radically different from the one our grandparents knew. Our kids are growing up faster than ever. Here’s how I lay it out . . .

Think about the challenges facing our children. Our kids are growing up in a far different world than the one we grew up in.

Kids in the ’30s grew up during the Depression when times were hard and everybody had to work and a dollar was a lot of money.

Kids in the ’40s
grew up with World War II, Frank Sinatra, and Bogie and Bacall.

Kids in the ’50s grew up with black and white television, “I Like Ike,” hula hoops, and a kid from Tupelo, Mississippi named Elvis Presley.

Kids in the ’60s
grew up with the Beatles, LSD, assassinations, Timothy Leary, Vietnam, and violence in the streets.

Kids in the ’70s grew up with Charlie’s Angels, disco, Happy Days, M*A*S*H, Saturday Night Fever, and the Doobie Brothers.

Kids in the ’80s grew up with crack cocaine, AIDS, MTV, PeeWee Herman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nintendo, and Nightmare on Elm Street.

Kids in the ’90s
grew up with the Simpsons, Michael Jordan, Seinfeld, Monica Lewinsky, rap music and Nirvana.

Kids in the 21st century are growing up with 9/11, the war on terror, Miley Cyrus, JayZ, American Idol, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, athletes on steroids, South Park, and gay marriage.

As a result, our children see more than we ever saw as children. They know more than we ever knew as children. And they see it and know it much earlier. They make jokes about things that were mysteries to us.

Kids in the ’30s grew up during the Depression when times were hard and everybody had to work and a dollar was a lot of money.

Kids in the ’40s
grew up with World War II, Frank Sinatra, and Bogie and Bacall.

Kids in the ’50s grew up with black and white television, “I Like Ike,” hula hoops, and a kid from Tupelo, Mississippi named Elvis Presley.

Kids in the ’60s
grew up with the Beatles, LSD, assassinations, Timothy Leary, Vietnam, and violence in the streets.

Kids in the ’70s grew up with Charlie’s Angels, disco, Happy Days, M*A*S*H, Saturday Night Fever, and the Doobie Brothers.

Kids in the ’80s grew up with crack cocaine, AIDS, MTV, PeeWee Herman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nintendo, and Nightmare on Elm Street.

Kids in the ’90s
grew up with the Simpsons, Michael Jordan, Seinfeld, Monica Lewinsky, rap music and Nirvana.

Kids in the 21st century are growing up with 9/11, the war on terror, Miley Cyrus, JayZ, American Idol, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, athletes on steroids, South Park, and gay marriage.

As a result, our children see more than we ever saw as children. They know more than we ever knew as children. And they see it and know it much earlier. They make jokes about things that were mysteries to us.

It’s never been easy to raise a Christian family, but the things our children see at an early age make it all the more important for parents to say with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Do you have any thoughts or questions about this post?