Generation Y

I was in my mid-teens—old enough to know better, but foolish enough to do it anyways. I walked into the kitchen to quickly grab a drink and get back to visiting with my friend, when Mama interrupted me.

“Would you like to make a salad?” she asked, in front of the parents of the visiting family.

Being the speak-what-I-feel type (often to my shame), I answered, “Well, I don’t want to, but I will.” Of course I would obey her, because I was her daughter, and she was my mother, and Scripture commands me to obey her. I just wanted to make sure that she understood the thought of making a salad neither excited me nor interested me. At least I think that was what was running through me head before I opened my mouth.

A passage of Scripture comes to my mind about this incident:

“There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. The leech has two daughters, crying, ‘give! Give! (Proverbs 30:11-15a).’”

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So, yes, I had all my excellent reasons for how I responded to my mother that day. But what I said was really just a variation of many such responses I’ve given in my life, and they can all be condensed: “I’ll do it, but I just want to make sure you know I don’t want to do it.” What I said was really just a variation of what so many others in my generation say.

This is not even about going the extra mile—Exodus 20:12 says that honor is the bare minimum for anyone who has parents:

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”

I don’t know what generation Solomon was talking about when he wrote Proverbs 30, and I’m sure that every generation has had their fair share of disrespectful children, but I'm positive about my generation. Our generation—Generation Y I guess we are—is proud of its disrespect—proud to say “I don’t want to,” like I did. So proud, in fact, is this generation that we don’t want to recognize our sin. We are pure in our own eyes, while still dishonoring our parents and living with selfish ambitions.

Later that night, I had a talk with Mama. She pointed out the sinfulness of my attitude and words, and I apologized for those. I wish I could say that was the last time such an incident occurred, but it wasn’t. I’m still working on honoring my parents, and I still often find myself needing to confess my rebellious attitude. How blessed I am, though, when I give rather than demanding my parents to give when they have sacrificed so much already. How joyful I feel when I not only obey their request, but also take pleasure in that obedience. There is a beautiful freedom when one gives to others instead of taking.

So I hope that together, you and I can brighten our corners by honoring our parents--whether they are Christian or not, whether you live in their house or not. Together, our generation can become known for something other than narcissism and rebellion.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: Alex Dram