I can still hear the gentle waves under my feet. During my junior year of college I found myself on the small, quiet island of Utila, just off the northern coast of Honduras. I was studying Spanish in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, and my friends and I decided to tour our new home-away-from-home.
We snorkeled the clear, teal waters of the Caribbean, climbed a gigantic (and fairly active) volcano, and zip-lined hundreds of feet above the ground through a canopy of monkey-inhabited trees in the jungles of Nicaragua. It was an experience of a lifetime. I remember thinking how blessed I was to see so much beauty in the world at such a young age. “Imagine what else I can experience in my lifetime!” I thought.
We’ve all heard older adults say, “You’ve got your whole life in front of you—enjoy it!” I couldn’t agree more.
Members of the 20-something generation have so many extraordinary opportunities at our fingertips. Not only can we read about interesting places in books, in magazines, and online, but we can experience those places far easier than our parents and grandparents ever could.
Enjoying sandy beaches and exotic restaurants, however, is not the only way to live life to the fullest. The greatest favor we can do ourselves is to find out how best to serve the Lord Jesus with the precious life he has given us.
God has always been in the business of calling his flock for service while they’re still fresh and inexperienced. Samuel was about 12 years old when God called him in the middle of the night. David was a ruddy teenager when he was summoned into Saul’s courts. Jeremiah reminded God that he was “too young” to be appointed a prophet for the Israelites (Jer. 1:6). Paul urged Timothy not to let anyone look down on him because he was young, but to “set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Tim 4:12).
So what examples are we setting? How are we living our young lives to the glory of God? We are, as some say, in the prime of our lives. We can come and go when we please without the responsibilities of childcare, parent-teacher conferences, or soccer practices.
I’m certainly not implying that we cannot continue to serve the Lord when we start families; our service will take on a whole new flavor then. I am proposing that we take advantage of our youth and serve our Savior with gusto in this season of our lives.
Whether you choose to travel the world spreading the gospel, represent Christ in the workforce, or impact the life of a child on a summer retreat, find out what you love to do and do it as unto the Lord.
About the Author
Christin Baker is a full-time stay-at-home mom who also writes for Faith Alive. She is a member of Resurrection Fellowship Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.