"The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13, NLT).
Recently, I have been listening to Bob Goff's "Dream Big" podcast. In one of the episodes, Mr. Goff made a statement that reminded me of the unhealthy (and unholy) expectations individuals tend to impose on the youth.
More than once, I have heard young adults say that their career choices were minimized and invalidated -- particularly by those within their own family. In fact, one of my creative writing classmates shared with the class about how doubts from others had affected her life. She told of when her uncle had discovered that she wanted to be a film major, and he responded with:"Are you really going to waste your parents' money like that?"
The sad part is that this criticism can affect the most tender and sensitive souls. It has the potential to squish and extinguish God-sized dreams, when we should be encouraging those around us to do what makes their holy heart sing.
In expecting the youth to pursue elaborate degrees, individuals can sometimes disregard their natural, God-given passions that can be utilized for the furtherance of the Kingdom of Heaven. In expecting children to fit into the roles that parents, guardians, or loved ones assign to them, it is treating the roles as definitive measures of that child's worth. I have personally seen this happen to someone that I love and adore deeply, and it breaks my heart.
As a general rule of thumb, I think that most people can agree that parents want the best for their children. That is a natural part of being human and a beautiful thing, indeed. However, there are so many projections that can affect the way that a loved one burdens those they care about. Individuals tend to project their own regrets onto others, as well as think that they know what is best for everyone else within their community.
These are the things that young adults don't talk about, but they are surely and certainly silently weighed down by them. Sometimes, the opinions of those they love are a pivotal reason behind a change in career path that never should have taken place.
I think it is so important to realize that while adults want the best for their children, putting pressure on them to be something that they are not in order for them to provide for themselves with money that is transitory, is more harmful than helpful.
This brings me back to Bob Goff. It was his mentioning of this scripture that got me thinking:
"The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13, NLT).
Peter and John were uneducated, yet they were known by Who they spent the most time with. They weren't nurses or doctors or veterinarians or lawyers. Yet, people could see that they were different; people could see that they had Jesus in them... and isn't that all that really matters at the end of the day? Isn't that what we are here for?
Since when did our culture begin to think that it was okay -- or even remotely biblical -- to define how well someone is spending their life based off of a label or based off of how much money they make? Aren't these all man-made concepts, anyway?
How can we put our opinions and projections to the side to truly love others and encourage them to pursue what makes their holy heart sing?