yes, i'm like an 80 year old man and listen to talk radio over choosing to listen to the regular radio.
he had this audio clip from a recorded video that was taken on a school bus in new york full of middle school kids. if you haven't heard of this yet, and haven't seen it, here's the link. but please be warned...it's really hard to watch. it's a bus monitor being harassed by fourteen year olds on a school bus.
i was listening to the audio this morning and tears started to stream down my face as i heard the old woman tell the young kids that if they didn't have anything nice to say, they shouldn't say it at all. and their response was blasting her with insults and profanity.
my first thought was: God...i am so sorry.
i was sorry for these kids.
i was sorry for their parents.
and i was mostly sorry that there wasn't anyone to stand up and defend this poor woman.
and then my second thought was: what is happening to this world?
i think that we can all agree that middle school is the worst couple of years of our lives. i think it's the transition you go through where you're not really a child any more, but not yet a big kid. it's that awkward growing stage where you're just trying to adjust to shaving your legs and i think it's when girls and boys start noticing each other. middle school is just plain awkward.
but i'm still trying to figure out what in the heck was going on in that bus.
and why do these kids think it's ok to treat an adult like this?
i have a couple ideas.
my first one is because no one has ever taught them how to be respectful to an adult before. i don't think i could believe that any of these children come from a really put together family, but most likely from broken homes with parents who aren't in the picture, or do very little parenting.
i also don't think any of them have ever been cracked on the rear end before for mouthing off...but hey, i'm old school and plan on "spanking" when necessary with my kids. worked for my parents.
but where i really think this all comes from is this headed for failure culture we live in.
it's in the music these kids are listening to.
the television and movies they are watching.
it's in the examples they have in their lives.
what their parents are doing, how they see their parents acting, how they see their friends acting.
acts chapter 2 is one of my favorite chapters in the bible. it's peter preaching to the almost church (as i call it). he's giving them the 411 on this whole christianity thing and basically is preaching to them about what it means to accept Christ.
and then comes verse 40:
he went on in vein for a long time, urging them over and over,
"get out while you can; get out of this
sick and stupid culture"
(the message).
get out.
sick and stupid culture.
not sure i could have said it any better myself.
i wrote a post a couple weeks ago about why i stopped shopping at target and the response was more than i expected and such a huge blessing to me. it was wonderful knowing that i wasn't alone in my thoughts.
that i'm not this crazy girl taking a stand for Jesus alone.
i know in my heart He is starting to do a work in me that is going to change a lot.
i've talked about how He's convicted me over the tv i watch (boy was that hard) and i've cut it down to almost nothing.
but now i feel like He's telling me that i need to move outside my own home.
videos like the one mentioned above, do NOT have to happen anymore.
because if we all start standing up for the gospel, the world is going to have to listen.
right now, in 2012, we have become the chosen generation. the one that God has instilled in us to make a change. because if we don't soon...it's only going to get worse.
we need and must start standing up.
because although some of you reading this might now believe me...standing up for even the small things and defending the gospel will work for the big things.
i was catching up on blog reading tonight when i came across this amazing video on a very sweet friends blog.
irritation is my motivation.
i'm good and irritated when i look at the world today.
i'm wondering when we, as followers of Christ, got so quite and let satan get so loud.
because believe it or not, satan is out there yelling to our world...and they are listening.
listening a lot more to the music than their parents.
or any authority figure.
listening a lot more than learning.
thinking they have it all together.
no one has it together.
but i'm choosing to stand up and follow the One who not only has it together, but has my stuff together too.
my point is this: are we going to continue to be silent?
or are we going to get out?
peter isn't telling us to get up and move to a new city.
because i'm sure it's the same there.
he's telling us that we need to get up and stop just letting this happen.
he's telling us that when you accept Christ...things shouldn't be the same in our lives.
i have a WWJD (what would Jesus do) bracelet in my car, on the shifter to see every day. and i find myself using that catchy little phrase more often.
and i've come to this conclusion: Jesus just wouldn't be sitting around waiting for someone else to do it. His mentality was never that His voice wouldn't be heard. there was no doubt.
and He stood up against the culture.
i'm choosing to say no to pop culture.
i'm choosing to preach the gospel and not to be afraid of being the only one who might have that opinion.
i'm choosing to let my irritation motivate me.
