Remember God in Youth

Solomon wrote: “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth; before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, `I have no delight in them’” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). He knew what he was talking about.

Recent studies have shown that teens who regularly attend worship live much different lives than those who do not. Martha Sawyer Allen, in an article in the COLUMBUS DISPATCH (1-19-94), reported on the results of two major studies and a Gallup survey regarding teen religious activity. According to the studies, teens who are not active in church are almost twice as likely to have driven drunk in the past year. In addition, these same non-church-goers are almost twice as likely to be sexually active. Older teens are less likely to worship regularly than younger teens. A Gallup survey indicated that fifty-four percent of teens 13 to 15 worship regularly, while only 44 percent of teens 16 and older are regular church attenders.

Regular church attendance is probably not the only explanation for the disparity in the statistics regarding drunk driving and sexual activity. Generally, teens who worship regularly have parents who do the same. These parents, for the most part, reinforce the lessons learned at church. The home is, after all, the place where morality is most effectively taught, and the sooner parents start, the better!

I would encourage you to get in the habit of worshiping faithfully, not only for your own spiritual well-being, but for your children, too. It will make a tremendous difference in all your lives. Tragically, however, many people wait until it is too late. It is very important that you begin when you bring the baby home from the hospital. If you wait until he is a teenager to start going to church, you have waited too long.

Less than half of all American teens worship regularly, but that isn’t surprising considering the fact that less than half of the adults in this country are regular worshipers.

Get your children started on the right track. Don’t send them to church, bring them! It will make a difference.