Dear YOUNG ADULT Christian,

If you would ask me how I think and feel about young adults today, I would reply with “huge, huge potential.” With that being said, I would agree with Tim Elmore, “The next generation has so much to offer, but they need direction-mentors who channel their energy and challenges them.” That is truly the spirit of this post…to challenge you with a smattering of biblical principles and encourage you to allow God’s Spirit to comprehensively channel your passion. If those two catalytic commitments could grab ahold of you and your peers, the sky is the limit of what the Almighty could do through you!

Here are some random thoughts from a guy who lived this young-and-happening stage back in “the late 1900’s” as my own sons would say with a smirk (random thoughts-by the way-the I wish I had heard more of when I was at your epically important/exciting stage of life):

The world’s offerings of pleasure and escape are predictably generic; Jesus longs to have a relationship with you that is breathtakingly individual by the One who uniquely created and knows you.
The greatest gift you can give your parents is to take their number one burden off of their shoulders (unless hindered by circumstances outside of your control)-YOU! (The right of passage in to adulthood is nothing more or less than personal responsibility.)
Those who are willing to sin with you will eventually sin against you…no exceptions.
Learn to distinguish between sabbath rest which is your friend and idleness which is not. (John Trapp uses this imagery, “An idle person is the devil’s tennis ball.”)
Stay put where you live, learn, and work when things get hard; nothing will build your tenacity and resiliency more. (A retired NFL quarterback recently weighed in on this as it relates to college football and beyond.)
No matter how much more difficult it may be for your generation than recent ones, sacrificially save for/invest in the ownership of things like a house where so many are accepting a subscription/rental-for-life approach…be so careful with debt too.
Develop habits of diet and exercise that set your body up for its optimal health long before you “have to.”
Don’t allow all of the artificial content and technology of your phone to rip you off from entering fully into the real world and relationships that God has created for you. (A recent study just accessed that the average 18 year old is on track to spend 27 years of their life on screens!!!)
Don’t allow the pervasive FOBO (“Fear of Better Options”) of our culture to keep you from be open to prayerfully dating towards marriage with a sincere believer of the opposite gender who is just as flawed as you are. (Great Insta post on losing this out-of-touch-with-reality perfectionism here.)
Who you marry is more important than when you marry…don’t rush it or delay it when God give definitive relational direction.
Make yourself available for “ministry,” and let God direct through your development and others’ recognition of spiritual gifting where you fit longterm. (This availability would look like mission trips, weekly service in the local church, volunteering in community service projects, etc.)
Give more than you take from your friends, family, church, and community…another clear evidence of adult-level maturity that is far too rare in our day.
Determine your guiding values based upon godly principles not how your peers or the culture are leaning. (Jonathan Edwards wrote, “Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.”)
Enjoy your youth to its fullest while remembering how fleeting and impactful it is on the rest of your life/eternity. (As one writer puts it, “The harsh reality is that how you spend your 20s will likely make or break your future” and Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:1 applies inspired language to this train of thought.)
To opt for a relationship with Jesus that is divorced from the embodied gatherings and initiatives of the local church is to settle for far less than the Scriptures not only command but assume…double down on the ekklesia.
Recognize that the truths/liberties that you have in Christ are not passed down through a genetic bloodstream; you have to personally steward them, defend them, and live them in your own day.
While figuring out your own core values/convictions are a legitimate part of this season, have a zero tolerance for duplicity. (James reminds us in 1:8 that “a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”)
Your God-given biological gender-despite what even the well-intended members of secular society would say-is a huge reference on God’s definitive will for so many areas of your life.
Discard any human opinion-no matter how religious and respectable (including mine)-to stay unencumbered in your pursuit and priority of divine truth.
When you get married, tie the knot more like your grandparents with simplicity focused upon richness of the marriage over the wedding, not in the over-the-top approach of far too many of my generation and yours.
Reject any reference point for your core identity other than Jesus Christ. (Great thought from John Anderson on this here.)
While the world is pursuing dopamine hits and moderns comforts at all costs, choose to take bold risks to actually do something high-impact for God’s eternal glory.
You need to immerse your mind and heart in prayer during the years of such crucial decisions. (As only Spurgeon could bluntly say it, “Young people, you must pray, for your passions are strong, and your wisdom is little.”)
Here’s one you probably haven’t thought of yet-start investing in those growing up just behind you-the middle school and high school students who think you “walk on water”…and let them into your personal space to point them to the One who actually does! (Kristin Cobade helps with how to inspire/encourage them, “Teens don’t open up to pressure; they open up to presence.”)
It is your responsibility-as one who personally believes the gospel-is to share it with others that you know you but not your Jesus. (Barna reveal is this study that 56% of professing believers hold to the position that their faith is completely private. Christians are trending towards increasingly not sharing their faith at the exact moment in human history when the lost are most open to talking about spiritual things!)
When you have unhealth in your life, deal with it holistically. (This includes the spiritual, biological, psychological, and relational…all which deserve the Bible in a sufficient, authoritative seat at the therapeutic table.)
Stop trading “optimizing for planned remembrance” (captures pics and videos over everything to post online) for the actual enjoyment of just being fully present in the moments that make life worth it.
To get the most out of the Bible, use an actual, physical one over the app on your phone. (Here’s a list of five reasons to do so from the late Charlie Kirk.)
Lose the “imposter syndrome” and lean into your God-enabled calling and opportunities now; you will shortly not be so young. (There are many-like me-who believe that you are not just the future of the church but a vital stakeholder right now “with an important set of keys” to doors that no other present generation can open…God used a teenager named David to take down Goliath!)
Lastly and most importantly, to align with Jesus is to be on the inevitably winning side…no matter how it feels/is viewed by others in this present moment!!!

Several have expressed this general thought, “Be the person you needed when you were a young person.” This is my stab at extending this spirit to those currently at this stage-starting with my own two sons, those in our local church, and…you! I am cheering for you and asking God to help me stay out of your way with my own shortcomings as you pursue Jesus.

Sincerely Your Friend Who Is Still Growing Up Himself,

Harley R. Snode

Photo by Warren on Unsplash