thoughts on the news of the day: youth

hmmm…..

            How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions? Marin McNess, a teenager from Atlantic, Iowa made a resolution at the first of the year to do a good deed for someone every day.  And 67 days into the commitment, she is still going strong. “I wake up everyday and ask myself, ‘What am I going to do today?’”

            Her projects are everything from helping in soup kitchens to cleaning out attics for the elderly to folding sheets.  She does this with grace and humility.  “It’s not about me,” she says, “it has nothing to do with me.”

            That kind of humility belies her age.  Or, maybe not.  While Marin is exceptional in her commitment, it is easy to generalize about teenagers today.  Most of the time, the ones who get in trouble are the focus of our attention.  But if you look around you, you will find a whole army of good kids who are going to school, playing sports and helping others.

            I am fortunate to have had some one on one time with a young man who is receiving instruction to be baptized.  He is remarkable only in that he is polite, thoughtful, intelligent and outgoing – not the characteristics we stereotypically expect in teenagers today.

            It’s easy to generalize.  It’s easy to lump all teens in a category of despondent, rebellious, self-centered children.  But it’s not fair.  There are some great kids out there just waiting to get to know you and they want to help. 

            hmmm…..