Teens Natural Curiosity Fuels Spirituality

Teens are notorious for spending much of their time thinking about themselves. Their interests center on their friends, their future, their music, and their clothes. But, did you know teens also think about spiritual things? During family meetings in our foster home, on many occasions the conversation turned to God, heaven and the afterlife. Their questions were many, their concern genuine.

Kids would ask us if we believed in the afterlife and God even though they had witnessed our faith. They wondered if heaven and hell really existed. The statements they made about what they believed were quite sophisticated and revealed this was not the first time they pondered these questions.

Our home was an open forum for discussion on anything, and I do mean anything, they wanted to talk about. Kids often asked embarrassing questions about topics that should have shocked us. When that happened, we stifled a gasp, tried to hide a blush, and proceeded to answer their question. When questions were of a spiritual nature, we trusted God to give us the right words, opened our mouth, and proceeded to speak. Our belief made answering the questions easy, even when meanings were harder to portray.

Teens are usually willing learners and open to hearing others' ideas and theories when presented in a non-confronting way. They will accept information from people they trust and care about sooner than from those who represent authority or to whom they have a distant and weaker relationship.

If you have established a loving, supportive, respectful relationship with the teen, you may have carte blanche when speaking about important issues. A teen may not really develop his spirituality until these questions in their mind are answered. Their natural curiosity about religion and God must be satisfied first.

My advice is to present, but do not try to convince. Let the Holy Spirit work in their lives, just as it works in your own. Show by example, the life of a Christian. Live everyday as though you know god and his son, Jesus, who died to save us. Pray in front of them, for them, and with them to foster their own belief in the power of prayer.

Not all teens are ready for church or the commitment we all hope they will someday make. They are, however, open to a short conversation about how wonderful your personal relationship with Jesus is and how it feels to be part of God's family. You may find them receptive to the transfer of biblical information if you engage in the 30-second message technique. This tidbit of information given at appropriate times that apply to the present situation for your teen is most successful. This is a wonderful technique to communicate things you wish to say in a way the teen will tolerate. Unless a teen brings up a question or asks to discuss it, long discussions are out. We want them to continue to be interested, not to be pushed away by our insistence and persistence. A short message will be welcome where a log sermon may not be.

Our home practices saying grace, daily prayers, and prayers for safety before trips as just a few examples of times you may set an example of your faith. This lets teens understand your personal feelings about spiritual matters. Many teens are not ready for a full devotional period in the home, but will at least sit quietly while prayers and grace are being said. This is less intrusive and we want the teen to participate willingly.

Example is always the best teacher. If you treat others with love and respect, your teen will more than likely do the same. If you lie and cheat, they may still follow your example. Live your life as the best example of what it means to have a personal relationship with God and you will show your teen what it means to be a Christian. Their spirituality very well may depend on yours.

Credits: Jo Ann Wentzel