Blessing Our Young Adults

Yesterday, we attended the 20^th birthday of a young man we have known since he was about two years old. Our families have been through many things together; we have encouraged one another in our homeschooling, in our child rearing and so much more.  It is exciting to see these children become young adults and take hold of the principles they have been trained in since childhood.

His birthday party was far from the typical twentieth birthday party, but very similar to what several of us have had for our children as they turn that age.  We attended as a family, as did the other guests, and the children played and had a wonderful time. There were several great things about the celebration- the worship, a slide show, the fun and the time spent with friends. However the best part was  when the men in the group went forward, one at a time, and encouraged this young man. Some spoke blessings over him, others shared stories that showed his character and how he had helped them when they needed it, and others shared Scriptures to light his path as he continues to walk with the Lord.

These Young Adults Have Zeal!

It is so encouraging to see our children, and our friends’ children, grow up and become adults that embrace the things that we have been teaching them. These young people have zeal and a desire to serve the Lord with their whole heart, with their whole life. These are strong young adults that have been faced with challenges and made hard decisions. They have been homeschooled and sheltered in some ways, but they have been trained and guided in the truth of Scripture. As they have been released into adulthood, they have continued to seek wise counsel and have been encouraged to seek the Lord for the answers they are searching for.

These young adults have embraced the faith of their parents and made it their own. They are not trying to ride on the coattails of their parents’ relationship with the Lord. They have made their own decisions for salvation, for righteousness and for the kingdom. It is amazing and I am honored to see such a strong generation of young adults.

Learning to Celebrate Our Differences

One thing that really stood out to me yesterday was the creativity and the versatility of the Lord. As I looked around the room at these young adults, I realized how much they had in common and yet how different they were. The young man who was celebrating his birthday is so different from any of his many brothers. He is louder, more boisterous, and more affectionate than the others. His family members acknowledged those differences and the challenges that they had presented, but admitted that the differences were also a blessing.

The blessings, as well as the words of advice and encouragement, given to this young man were designed to help him embrace being the young man the Father is calling him to be. Everyone there wanted to bless him with the freedom to be himself, just as they have done with the rest of the young people there.  It is interesting to see the variety among them, even within each family; the children can be so different from one another. This variety is given as a blessing, so that we can benefit from one another’s strengths and bless others with ours.

When we learn to embrace our differences this way, we all benefit and life is so much more pleasant. At times, I have been guilty of not recognizing the blessings that the differences can bring and have tried to make myself or my children into something they were not designed to be. Thankfully, none of us ever stayed in the confines of the box very long! Instead, we broke free and embraced the differences and found the freedom to be who we were designed to be.  I hope you have found the freedom to be who you were created to be and the blessings that flow forth because of it! May you delight in your uniqueness and the Creator that designed you that way!