About Our Youth

In many areas of our life, whether it be advertising, work, politics, or social gatherings, a message can be heard by many, but received by few. The problem is not that the message is too hidden, it's that we need better ears. Christ's parables often ended with "for those who have ears to hear let them hear!" and these days it seems we can understand what He meant more than ever. When things matter to us, we listen, when we do not, well.... Its a scary thought that we may not "hear" because we do not care, but honestly - it might be as simple as that. Christ's parables are filled with imagery, layers, practical lessons.  They were easy to understand, easy to place yourself in them, and hard to forget... at least for those who had ears to hear. 

Have you heard of the phrase Revertigo?  Its a thing - Google says so.  Its the tendency of a person to revert back to an older version of themselves when around people from their past.  It explains why when we travel back to our hometown for a weekend visit, our maturity declines a couple decades hanging out with old childhood friends.  Or why siblings can laugh until their sides hurt over inside jokes as if they just happened.  And yet, we are in fact grown adults with real responsibilities.  

Sometimes the phenomenon also happens during Lent - we hit the time of year as if it is just a "default" season and revert to whatever we think we ought to be doing or reading or eating (or not eating).  Lent is supposed to be a forward journey, and it is supposed to be new every year.  Christ has something new to teach us every year.  In writing our Lent series, "Follow Me" I was astonished at the artificial roadblocks we put up ourselves to stand in the way of our journey in following Christ - our fears, our pressures, our identity, logic... and yes, our revertigo.  This Lent, let's not be like the Nazarenes who rejected Jesus in His own town, failing to see the Divinity through the Humanity and instead embrace the invitation to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.