I had a conversation with a teen a few days ago about her life.  She’s pretty lost, I’d say.  She doesn’t know what she wants to do.  She hates school, hates her parents, and is confused about God.
It’s the same with millions of teens around the world, I’m sure.  A part of it is to be expected, I guess.   Teens learn to exercise their own will, there’s usually a little rebellion, some teenage “angst.”    But if we’re not careful, teenage “angst” becomes rage, depression, and elevated levels of irresponsibility, all while we shrug it off to just “being a teenager.”
I love working with teens, and a large part of my ministry I have dedicated to reaching them, engaging them, and encouraging them to break free of destructive habits and to embrace the life that God has designed for them.    When I was talking with this girl, I challenged her on a few things – namely, what was the “fruit” of her life, as it is, in this very moment.   ”Fruit” is kind of a Christian term…  fruit, meaning, what is your life producing?  emotionally, spiritually, tangibly?    I challenged her worldview, and even her confusion about who God is.   I told her I would be very confused about someone or something that I had only “heard” about, but never encountered myself.
What is the fruit of not teaching our youth to honor and respect their parents (and as a result, authority)?  A generation of young people have a general disregard for their elders and resultantly themselves.  What is the fruit of not addressing the importance of sexual purity, the sanctity of marriage, and the importance of family?   Pregnancy, emotional distress, stds, abortion, etc etc etc.  With every action, there is a result.  With every life and its choices, there is fruit.
I asked her to evaluate her fruit.   And on a very basic level, I wondered if her “life” was working for her?   There are so many theological arguments out there, and I suppose I could have walked through any number of them, trying to convince her this or that about God.    But that didn’t seem right.   She didn’t need convincing that she was in pain.  She didn’t need convincing that she was angry and confused.   And in that moment, I had an opportunity to show her love, to tell her she wasn’t alone, and show her that there is a whole other “life” of hers waiting to be acted out.   And she had the power to change the direction of her story, and to receive healing in all the wounded places in her heart.
I know I want the fruit of my life to be… joyous, full of life, patient and kind, with clear direction and hope for the future.  I am convinced that this is the life God designed us for, and I want to embrace it fully and help others reach  a place in their life where they can claim that fruit for their own.   That is ministry, at its very basic level.  We are addressing the broken condition of man, and reintroducing the spiritual fruit that God originally desired for us to produce.   That is how the world changes, one life at a time, and that is the power of the Holy Spirit in us through Christ’s death and resurrection.