Focus on the Family Magazine - April/May 2023

BIBLICAL LITERACY / KIDS & TEENS
God just wants
me to be happy
“I want you to do whatever makes you
happiest in the world,” popular teen
heartthrob and singer Harry Styles
shouted from the stage at one of his
concerts. Soon the sentiment was
spreading around the internet via
memes and tweets, accurately summing
up the headspace of many
young people in our country.
One study coined the phrase “moralistic
therapeutic deism” to describe
the trend among teens who believe
that God just wants them to be happy
and only cares about everyone being
nice to one another. In our current culture,
being happy seems to be the end
goal. If something makes you sad or
uncomfortable, it should be avoided.
If something makes you feel happy, it
should be pursued. When the pursuit
of happiness is built upon constantly
changing feelings, it fails to give young
people the tools and inner strength
necessary to navigate difficult situations
in life.
Train them up
Melody, a public high school teacher,
noticed recently that many of her students
struggle with extreme anxiety
over relatively small issues. For example,
she writes, “In my school district,
if you say you have ‘anxiety’ you get
to take the test at a later date, and you
go to the wellness center on campus,
where they provide a Zen space, counseling
if needed. Because students’
feelings are constantly validated and
never challenged, Melody noticed that
many students can’t take criticism.
That’s quite an uphill battle for a
Christian teacher trying to shape the
minds of the next generation.
Thankfully, Melody discovered that
asking questions is an effective strategy
to help lead students to truth. For
example, one student informed her
that women can do everything men
can do, even physically. Melody agreed
that men and women are intellectually
equal, but pushed back when it came
to physical strength. She challenged
the student to look at the track records
posted in the gym.
Then she asked, “Why is the fastest
time always in the male column?”
Challenging our kids to engage with
reality and align their feelings with
what is true (and not the other way
around) is a great starting point in discipling
them to live according to truth.
These real-life stories demonstrate that with truth on our side, we
need not fear the daunting task of parenting in a culture that has
largely rejected truth. We need to expose our kids to controversial
topics as early as possible in age-appropriate ways. Then we can
demonstrate a consistent and long-term discipleship in the realm of
ideas, defining our terms biblically. This allows us to teach our kids
to manage their emotions in light of truth and reinforce their biblical
worldview. Age-appropriate exposure, discipleship, teaching and
reinforcing Christian principles are excellent places to start. •
Alisa Childers is a wife, mom, author, podcaster, blogger, speaker and worship
leader. She was a member of the award-winning CCM recording group ZOEgirl.
She is currently a respected speaker at apologetics and Christian worldview
conferences, as well as the host of her popular YouTube channel. Alisa’s most
recent book is Live Your Truth and Other Lies.
*Names have been changed to protect anonymity.
APRIL / MAY 2023 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY 37