Many teenagers today feel trapped in what could be called the “Less” Mess. They feel useless, worthless, helpless, purposeless and hopeless. Despair in many cases has robbed our teens of the idealism, energy and creativity of youth. “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.”  For disadvantaged youth, the need for relationships that communicate high expectations is particularly great. Not only have these youth suffered from the effects of lessening social supports in their lives, but minority youth especially have been subjected to low expectations from the beginning of their lives—”rumors of inferiority,” as it is termed. This has resulted in our youth avoiding intellectual challenges and, thus, not achieving their highest level of academic success.

 

The statistics for teen violence, suicide, drug abuse, child abuse, teen alcoholism, sexual activity, peer pressure, etc. are scary, to say the least. But the deeper problem is a spiritual problem. Teenagers need to have faith, determination and opportunism to develop a strong sense of worthiness. We have a spiritual responsibility to the young people in our communities, more so now than ever.

 

Parents are often their children‘s first line of defense. How tragic when children never experience the power of a parent’s protective love. So many abused children shuffle through our social system with devastating results. So many children perish quietly, with no one to mourn their passing. We cannot save all the “parentless” children, but we can reach out one at a time. Go out of your way to make a neglected child feel welcome in your life. Speak out against the forces in our culture that devalue human life. Lend your voices to those that clamor for peace in our world. Do what you can where you can. Let your love be fierce and strong. Don’t back off.