| Begin or End each week with a Meaningful Inspiration. |
"REGRETS" by Tim Knappenberger |
This past week, I had the opportunity to
participate in an event in our community called
"Character Counts". "Character
Counts" is a nationwide effort that seeks to
heighten awareness in today’s youth of core
character values like Respect, Responsibility, Caring,
Citizenship, Trustworthiness, and Fairness. Over 500 area
high school sophomores were bussed to our town’s
Civic Center where they were divided into groups of 8-10
with each group led by an adult group facilitator. The
day was then spent participating in various small group
activities and watching video clips designed to teach the
core character principles. The event concluded with each
group reassembling into their respective high schools and
discussing how they could initiate "Character
Counts" activities in their home schools. I volunteered to be one of the 65 group facilitators. Having two teenagers living under my own roof, I thought it might be novel talking to adolescents that were required to listen to me. I was a little apprehensive at the thought of jamming 500+ hormone-charged young people in one room and spending the day talking about "geeky" topics like Trustworthiness and Responsibility. As it turned out, my apprehensions were misplaced. I was amazed at how respectful and involved these teens were. At my table of eight young women alone, over half volunteered in some way in their communities by working at nursing homes, coaching younger cheerleaders, or being youth leaders at their churches. My cynical view of Generation X got some needed refocusing. One of the day’s activities involved playing a form of Bingo wherein you had a sheet of squares with each square requiring you of find somebody in the room and sharing personal information or doing a silly activity. "If you had a magic wand, what would you do with it?" "What is your idea of the perfect day?" "Find 3 people and sing a children’s song out loud." After completing the activity, you each signed each other’s square. Most of the answers I heard as well as those I shared were low to moderate risk in nature. Again, I was pleasantly surprised how easily and comfortably these young people shared and participated in an activity that required lowering their guard and coming out from behind their "walls." But I will never forget one answer I heard. One of the squares read: "If you could be transported to any day or place in time, where would you go?" I bumped into a handsome, African-American boy who’s dress suggested the Boyz-N-Da-Hood look. Pants sagged below his waist, athletic jacket, and tightly braided corn row hair. The only reason I have any knowledge about these things is that my youngest plays basketball with many young men dressed this way and he is an avid fan of Rap music. I asked him if he wanted to do one of the squares? "Sure, no problem," he answered, "but you go first." My answer was the Civil War. In my youth, I had always been a Civil War buff and thought I would find that period fascinating. "Ok, Jemal, your turn." He answered that he would go to the day of his birth and the hospital he was born in. Not expecting an answer quite like that, I asked why. "So I could start all over again." He then grabbed my Bingo sheet, signed my square and melted into the crowded. I stood there for a moment, still recovering from his answer. Here was a 15 year old young person, who should have been fresh with the energy of youthful anticipation and filled with the promise of tomorrow, already regretting his past. I have no idea why. It could be because of mistakes Jemal made or mistakes others close to him made. He was not trying to impress me with his answer, his demeanor was too matter-of-fact to suggest that. How terribly sad. I wanted to find Jemal again before the day ended and find out more about him. I wanted to tell him that each new day offered the hope of a new life and a chance to change. I wanted to tell him that a person called Jesus Christ came to this planet to offer the Tim’s and the Jemal’s the second, third, fourth, and four hundredth chances we all are in need of. I wanted to commend him for his depth of insight and tell him I would be praying for him. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to see Jemal again, but his words brought to mind Paul’s words: "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal. . ." Without Christ as our forward focus, regrets can all too easily bind us to an unforgiving past. We don’t have to be cynical and jaded 80 year olds, rocking in chairs and ruminating on what might have been as we sit on the front porches of our lives. We can be bright and beautiful young people, dragging a ball and chain of "if only" behind us. "What a wretched man I am! Who
will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God
through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Roms. 7:24-25) |
|
| "Brothers, I
do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But
one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:13-14 NIV) |
||
|
Send a note to Tim Knappenberger at: knapp@raex.com
Other Weekendspirations can be found : HERE
Return to the the Miscellany