“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
II Timothy 4:12
There are many stories in the Bible of the younger generation being used mightily for God. Jeremiah was still pretty young when he was called to be a prophet to Israel. Jeremiah 1:7 is God answering Jeremiah after his complaining about his young age and it reads “Do not say ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.” There was, of course, the young lad that brought the two loaves and five fishes and who was used to feed thousands. King David was still a youth when he was anointed King of Israel. Samuel was hearing God’s voice when he was still a teenager and went on to be the Judge over the whole land.
Then there was Timothy. The Apostle Paul was his father in the faith and mentor. Timothy was commissioned by Paul to be a pastor of his local assembly, and he used the admonition in the scripture reference above to encourage young Timothy not to let other people’s opinions of his lack of “seasoning” affect him. Paul was telling him to ignore the complaints about his youth because those who are called by God are enabled by God. He exhorts Timothy to be an example to the church in words and actions.
This is a wonderful passage full of encouragement and sound Christian advice. However, when re-reading it a few days ago, I looked at Paul’s admonition in another light. “Let no one despise your youth” can be taken in a completely different context from what was obviously intended. However, it still remains a powerful lesson. As a 44 year old man, I sometimes need the reminder to not let anyone “despise my youth”; or more specifically, despise the actions and lifestyle of my youth. It’s an admonition that I need to apply to myself even more strongly.
I was raised in church, but after age 20 I spent most of my adolescence running from God, His calling, church, and any type of a virtuous life. I lived life in a way that did not reflect my upbringing or the integrity in which Christians are called. Thankfully, God’s love never abandons anyone and eventually I came back to God. He is faithful to forgive us for anything we’ve done when we are sincere in our repentance, but the enemy will work full time to remind you of your past. Receiving salvation is easy when you feel the power of Christ drawing you to Him and His love is overwhelming you, but it can be another story when you wake up the next day and you have to start living life again. Satan loves to bring up thoughts and memories to drown you in guilt and feelings of unworthiness. While much of the battle is an internal struggle with the enemy and our flesh, other people can certainly do their part to remind you of the person you once were.
This new take on the above scripture is extremely poignant for me at this time of my life. I have just written a book and it has been published in the last week or so. One day a few weeks ago as I was working my way through the publishing process, I was struck by some fears that I had never considered previously. Not everyone would be thrilled that I wrote a book. There are people in my past that would remember a different man than I am today, and would scoff at the idea of me writing a faith based book. There is a real possibility that I will have to deal with people reminding me of my past and not just questioning my qualifications, but outright accusing me of hypocrisy. I had never thought about those possibilities before that moment and I suddenly had trepidations about the book’s release. I mean really, who am I to write about a journey with God when my own journey has had so many bleak and dark twists?
Eventually after spending some time in prayer, God started giving me peace and leading me to places in His word that alleviated my fears. He led me to II Corinthians 12:9 which reads, “And He said ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” My actions and lifestyle choices before I was living for God are part of what makes my testimony. People are hurting and need to know that God can make sense of the mess they’ve made of their lives. They would rather hear about someone that was messed up that God restored than someone who has lived a seemingly perfect life. My journey has been twisted and pretty low at times, but that’s what makes my story relatable. God was able to take what little I had to give and create something brand new from it. Where I am weak, God has made up the difference without me having to rely on my own strength.
I am prepared for whatever backlash comes from my past and from other people’s opinions. My past is what gives my story credibility. God has taken what was pretty broken and used all of those cracks and blemishes to let even more light shine through me. For that, I am humbled and thankful, but not ashamed. “Let no one despise your youth.”