10 Things Generation Y Christians Need To Hear

January 20, 2016

Ten somewhat blunt pieces of advice to myself along with any generation Y christians.

1. You don’t have to have a certain theme going for you in order to be a christian. You do not need to know how to do calligraphy. You do not need to own anything North Face and no, not even Patagonia. You are allowed to not like Chacos. An Eno is not a necessity. You do not need to have a certain look to be a christian. You just need a certain heart; a broken one- a broken heart in need of repair. Priceless.
2. There is a big difference between showing off your God and showing off your relationship with God. It is all about your motives. If you are Instagramming a picture of your bible and notes to glorify your God, continue on but if you are deep down glorifying yourself and how prideful you feel for spending time with the Lord, just post the picture of your dog from last Thursday instead.
3. Don’t let your holy phone life take place of your good actions in real life. If you text sincerely and genuinely, you better be talking even more sincerely and genuinely in person. If you remind others of true Love via social media, you better be showing them even more of it when you see them in the real world. Don’t hide behind your phone. Show Jesus in your actions, not just in your captions.
4. Age should not discourage you but you don’t need to have it all figured out either. You will never know the full reality of Jesus Christ until you have made it to His feet in heaven. Don’t act like you know it all. There is a reason why they call it growing in Jesus Christ. There is no christian who has it all figured out because God is so great and mighty, He has made Himself impossible to completely figure out here on earth. Give yourself a break, no one else in the room knew how to pronounce Ampliatus either.
5. Don’t expect nor give yourself any glory for doing what you have been called to do. Stop celebrating yourself when loving others. Celebrate God being so grand and personal that He loved the ones you love through your actions. He chose to do it through you and you could not have done it without Him. It is all His. We need to stop being proud for loving others. Loving others should be the norm.
6. Pray to the Ruler, not the room. When we pray to the room for affirmation from others, our prayers are stationary. When we connect our prayers to the Ruler, our prayers have power basked in power because the greatest Power is the receiver of these prayers. Powerful, real prayer are linked to the One above, not the ones around.
7. Never stop being amazed with how abundantly free and full God desires you to live. Jesus did not just die for you so you could lay down your life the day you handed it over but so that you could choose freedom in each day, so that you could touch the fullness of life He created in every day. He gave up perfection so you would not have to run in fear of it. Never stop realizing how good He is, how free you truly are and how loved you will forever be.
8. If they aren’t leading you, you better be leaving them. I have said it once. I’ll probably say it about fifteen more times this month. If they are not leading you to the cross-recklessly, lovingly, boldly, and your number one goal in life is to be with Jesus Christ intimately and closely, something is off. Make sure their heart is for Jesus before their heart is for you. Make sure your relationship with them is not the most significant one in their life.
9. Do not be scared if your perception of God shifts as you grow. Do not shy away from learning about who God truly is just because He is becoming a clearer, more real and personal God, perhaps an even more straight to the point kind of God. His love still endures forever. He is still good no matter how complicated He may seem at a certain valley during your growth.
10. Stop freaking out at the cash register. Stop trying to find your credit card. Stop trying to dig for your checkbook. Stop trying to find any coins. They are not present. Someone who went before you has already paid for all you owe and you can never return the favor. All you can do is live your life like a big, “Thank you!” and go in peace, freedom and love. That’s it.