CHAPTER 12

Nobody Hears Me and I Hear Nobody

In the last chapter we talked about going down the road of rightness WITH DELIGHT, and learning to love end ENJOY THE PROCESS (enjoy each step and each stage along life’s road). Why is it so hard to enjoy life’s journey? Why are the hours end days dull, dumb and dreadful instead of delightful? Why do I find no joy in tackling each day with its problems, pressures and people? Why is it such a struggle?

It is helpful to think first of all about the world around you--

THE UNSAVED are of no help or encouragement to me and are not and cannot be godly examples to me. How can they help me to enjoy walking on the road of rightness if they are not on this road themselves? Persons who are not knowing and believing on the Lord cannot set the pace or even be on the right track, no matter what their age.

THE SAVED YOUNG PEOPLE (or those who claim to be saved) often are of no help to me and show little kindness toward me. How can they help me to enjoy walking on the road of rightness if they are not enjoying it themselves? Can a young person who says he is a believer but lives and acts the same as those who are not saved (1 Cor.3:3) be of any more help to me than a person who is not a believer? We need to make a difference between  1) those who are not any help (whether saved or unsaved),  2) those who try to help but cannot help,  3) those who try to help and do help. A person may sincerely try to help, but he could say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing.

THE SAVED ADULTS (parents, Pastor, etc.) are with me but they do not really know what I am going through, do they? Adults who say they are saved but live and act like those who are not saved, cannot be the example they ought to be to me.

Now, let’s consider some of the ways I may act or react to the struggles of each day (with its contests, crises, conflicts, catastrophes, cares and concerns):

--I could be struggling and losing (coming out on the short end of all of life’s battles). Think of a person on a fast escalator going down. The person may struggle to go up, but all the time he is going down, down, down. He is ACTIVE and IRRITATED but he finds himself losing the ball, striking out, missing the shot.

--I could be struggling and holding my own position, making no progress at all. This would be like a person on an escalator going down. The person walks up as fast as the escalator goes down and never gets anywhere! "Seems I am right where I was the last time I looked!"

--I could let truth and God go, and let ME show. Instead of lifting up God and His Word, I lift up myself so that all they see is ME. "I have a right to do my thing in my way when I want and as I want. I will show them who I am and what I am. I am really somebody!"

--I could join the crowd in order to avoid their comments and to belong. If I am not different then they will not talk about me and if I become part of the group, then they will not consider me as an ODDBALL. Lost in the crowd and lost to Christ? Whom should I follow? Ephesians 5:1: ______ or Ephesians 5:6-8: ____________________________________________________

--I could be involved in the pushing and shoving game: they to me and I to them. They do to me and talk about me so I do to them and talk about them--push for push; shove for shove.

--I could be the victim of unkind words and ways, making for down days. "It isn’t true and I am so blue. What can I do, I will try to tell you. I am mad and sad, bow can I be glad?"

--I could begin to envy and want (wanting what they have, what they enjoy, what they can do). Failing to trust that God leads to meet the needs; and thus to trust self and those around me--to want and wish; to get and to have; looking and longing to fit in (belonging).

--I could decide to stop learning and stop enjoying and stop seeing God’s purpose and God’s process. Thus I would be saying NO to God and saying NO to God’s good and perfect will for my life.

--I could seek to do right but do it too quickly (without thinking it through). As a result it doesn’t work and doesn’t come out right. Then I get frustrated and say, "I tried and it didn’t work, so I’ll stop and do nothing." I can then overreact further by taking my frustrations out on others.

For example, suppose you were learning to be a cook and the chief chef tells you to make and bake a pie. You try to do it right, but you do it quickly without paying attention to all the directions. The pie then flops and turns out terrible. You say, "I tried, it didn’t work, so I quit! No more pies for me!" Then the chief chef returns and tries to tell you what you did wrong, so you say, "All right for you!" and you throw the pie in his face! Seems silly, doesn’t it? But can you think of times when you have reacted like this? "You and your pies, don’t talk to me about pie." Later someone else says, "How is your cooking class?" You answer, "What right do you have to ask me about my cooking class? Get out of my life!" SO--> I could lose out and be a wash out. I could allow the battle to defeat me and cause me to miss out on the lessons and learning of these days, weeks and years.

Think of when you will be out of High School. Who then is really going to care about whether you make it in life or what you are able to do? The devil won by sidetracking you and he and the world laughs because you missed out! Now look at yourself! The world will step on you and will use you and abuse you and will care little and understand less of God’s good purpose and plan for your life.

--I could say, "Well, I am no better off and no worse off then they are!" But where are they? How ready are your friends to face and tackle life? How much have they learned? A prisoner may say, "Well, I’m no worse off than the criminal in the cell next to me. In fact, I am going to get out two years earlier than he!" But are they not both in jail?

WHERE AM I?

Dependent Baby         1 year..2 yrs.

I have many years of childhood experiences to my credit.

TEEN YEARS

I have no adult years to my credit as yet.

20..30..40..80 years

I am too far from being a totally dependent baby, but I am also far from having the pains and problems of adulthood (the exercise and necessity of becoming independent adults who learn the need of dependence Within the society where they live, such as being dependent on the farmer, the doctor, the lawyer, the truck-driver, etc.). I have come a long way, but there is a long way to go.

Compared to the baby I seem grown up! There are many things I can do that the baby cannot do! But how grown up am I compared to the adult? How ready am I to tackle the world of the adult (job, family, children, home, finances, income tax, military service, sickness, decisions and demands upon me, death, etc.)?

There is a need to be listened to and to listen. Everyone wants to be heard:

What am I looking for? What am I saying? Why? Am I saying "I am here and I care"? Am I saying, "I am here, help me to find myself for God and for good" or am I saying, "I am here, help me to find myself for self and for bad"? Am I asking the right persons for the right answers for the right reasons?

Not only do I want others to listen to me, but I must listen to others. I need to listen and learn, but often I listen to many voices and I do not make a difference as to who is saying what and why they are saying it. (REREAD this last sentence, THINK and LEARN!!!)

Where can I find real answers? Who should I listen to? Why should I listen to them? For what reason should I listen to them? DO THEY KNOW FOR SURE WHAT THEY ARE SAYING? I try to listen to people, but I get confused, uncomfortable, irritated, upset, angered, mad, sad, etc. Why? Do I realize the weaknesses and lack of understanding in my own life? What happens if I tune out the adults and tune out God and tune in the other young people? What do they know for sure? Why? What are they saying by their lips and life to me? Where are they headed? Why?

Should I listen to parents only? YES and NO. Why?

You have a watch and I can ask you what time it is. If the watch is working and if you can tell time, then I can receive a correct answer from you.

If you know how to bake a cake, then I can ask you. If not, then I could ask a baker of cakes. Getting information is one thing; seeing if it is right or wrong is another.

Sources of information (such as school, books, teachers, etc.) are usually not involved with you and responsible for you and neither can they really love you.

Should I listen to God through His Word the Bible? How old is God? What does God know? What does God not know? Is God the Authority on who God is and what God wants? Are there any other GODS like GOD (Isaiah 43:11-13; 44:6-8; 45:20-23)? ______ Can anyone else answer why you were created and why you are here and where you came from and where you are going? Can anyone else really help you to get where you should be going and to see that you get there?

When I am looking and listening to young people only, I’m in trouble. What can my friends say? Do they know more then my parents and other adults? Do they know more than God? Have they had more experience in living then my parents? Where are they? Where have they been? Are they responsible to God for me? Do they want me to have God’s very best even as it sometimes seems to hurt me?

The Bible describes a man who had a problem with listening. Read about Balaam in Numbers 22:22-34. Who was more responsive to God, Balaam or the donkey (Numbers 22:23,25,27)? __________________________ When the donkey began to talk, how would you describe Ba1aam’s reaction--SURPRISED or STUPID (see verses 28-30)? _______________________ We laugh at Balaam, but are there times when we do things just as SILLY and just as STUPID?

Questions To Ponder:

--Am I bothered about what other young people think and say about me?

--Am I bored? "They can do and go and say, but I can’t" or "I don’t find any reason or see any value in my present state of being (my present situation)."

--Where are my friends? Why are they able to go, say and do? Why are they like this?

--What am I really after? Am I after truth, rightness, correct thinking, understanding, Wisdom, etc. or am I after the opposites?

--What do I want to hear? What do I need to hear?  Is there a difference? Who can give me what I want to hear? Who can give me what I need to hear?

--Why don’t I want to hear (or like to hear) some things?

--Why do I listen to those in my age group in school and in church, etc? Why do I let what they say and do become so important to me?

--Why do I not want to hear adults? What do they know that I don’t know? What have they been through that I haven’t been through? What do I know that they don’t know.

--I want to grow up, but why don’t they (parents, adults, etc.) let me?

--Can I look to, lean upon and stand upon God and His Word to work out all my  problems and pains, my fears and my woes, my friends and my foes?

--Does God know about _____________________________________
                                            (you fill in whatever or whoever)

Can I obey God and know He will work all things out for His GLORY and my GOOD?

GOD ALWAYS HEARS YOU!
(He is not deaf!)

DO YOU ALWAYS HEAR GOD?

"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,
THIS IS THE WAY, WALK YE IN IT"

Get on the road.

Stay on the road.

Enjoy the road each step of the way. (Isaiah 30:21)

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