Twenty-something

Well, I haven't added to this thing since August, so I'm guessing no one has kept up with it but I'm going to write anyway.

I'm 26 now and like most twenty-somethings, am trying to figure out this thing we call life. A lot of us at this point are having what's been dubbed quarter-life crises, which is a lot like a mid-life crisis only it happens in your twenties typically. It makes me wonder why so many of us are having these.

Just this school year, I've had four different things I was sure I wanted to do next year. First, I wanted to teach in Spain. Next, I wanted to do a Round the World mission trip for a year. Then, I wanted to do a year-long apprenticeship in Kenya. Finally, I wanted to teach in an American school in Africa. What?! Why have I been all over the place? Why can't I just be content and stay in one spot? I have a very good life here and in fact love living in Florida. Maybe it's just been the year I've been having with school and mood swings. Other people are having these types of thoughts too though, where they check out a bunch of different options. Some go for it, some hold back.

I wonder where this lack of contentment stems from. Is it from hearing our whole lives that we should find out what we're passionate and then pursue it with all our hearts? Or is it from having access to everything we wanted and not knowing what to do with it all? My dad says my generation is all about 'finding themselves' when what they really need to do is find a job. There is probably some truth in that, but in the same breath I don't think one should settle for a job that they're miserable in. Of course, you should stay in a steady job if possible until something opens up that you're passionate about.

A friend of mine today was talking about how he loves this generation's entrepreneurial spirit and our willingness to risk things. We want to try new things and know that we might fail but we still want to try something new and different regardless. I've seen stats that say the average person will change jobs about 10 times before retirement now whereas before people stayed in one job their whole careers. Think about what this means for an employer. Do you invest in your employee's continuing education, knowing that there's a good possibility they'll leave at the drop of a hat for a better paying job once they get that next degree? How can you possibly hope to keep employees when a whole generation of workers go between jobs on a regular basis?

Another aspect of twenty-somethings is that we're still in the process of shaping/being shaped into who we're becoming. This holds especially true if you're a Christian I think. You're figuring out what you believe about the Bible, what others think about it, and how your faith is going to impact your life. Is it going to be something that just impacts your location on a Sunday morning or is it going to impact all aspects of your life? Where is God in the midst of all our confusion about what we want to do with the rest of our lives? I wonder how many people have asked this same question. We desperately want guidance, but how specific is God's will for a person's life? Is it specific down to each detail or is He more concerned about our character and how we react to life's different consequences than about what career or spouse we choose? You could probably argue either perspective using the same Bible, as is the case with many relevant issues in today's world.

Our generation also seems to have a slight obsession with wanting to change the world. If everyone wants to change the world and are all trying to get others on board for this or that cause, does it simply lead to inertia? Politics are a huge deal and really determine if anything moves forward or backward for the most part, so are grassroots efforts even worth it? Are we twenty-somethings naive to believe we can change the world? Are we too idealistic in our understanding of how things work? Personally, I've been told I'm both naive and idealistic, which is fine, and to which I respond I'm not as naive as you might think and the world needs some people who are idealistic, otherwise nothing changes and you continue to repeat the same problems with the same lack of solutions. One of the byproducts of being idealistic is that you will constantly be challenged by 'realists' but this can be a very helpful thing in some cases and shouldn't discourage us from pursuing some big dreams of helping others. Discouragement is very easy to fall into though, when everyone around you thinks something is unachievable or even inconcievable. The great leaders and thinkers throughout the ages have dared to do what they thought was right even in the midst of opposition from one or many persons.

Personally, I want to do something huge for humanity. Something that leaves a mark on history as a great benefit to mankind. This might be a grandiose delusion, but I think we should aim high. Of course, there is always the aspect of the cliches that go something like, "You might not change the world, but you can change someone's world" and "If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one" and maybe these sayings have more merit than I give them. Regardless, I'd like to do something that impacts many people in a big way. But maybe, just by living the way I do and investing in others, I already have impacted many people in a big way. I certainly don't see that, but maybe that's to keep me from having too much pride.

So, to all you people in your twenty-somethings, hang in there. This can be a very confusing and frustrating time of life as we try and figure things out, but let's enjoy the ride, shall we? We still have our whole lives ahead of us at this point, so let's spend sometime thinking about what we're passionate about and doing things to move us in those directions. May we come to see God in the everyday as well as our dreams. May we come to see the image of God in one another and even in people we can't stand. May we come to know Him in an on-going and shaping/refining relationship.