Introduction
God is a God of relationship and communion. He constantly invites us into a relationship that is authentic, true and real (ATR). We must make efforts not to leave God out of our relationships by merely looking and seeking for human solutions even in the midst of our painful situations for healing as we walk in the centre of His will. Therefore, making time to focus on positive human relationships is important, and learning how to improve upon it is absolutely vital. It is good for us to respect, cherish and care about the way we relate with ourselves, with our neighbors, with nature, God and the society. In our world of shifting values, young people will definitely have lots of difficult questions which must be welcomed and entertained even when we don’t have all the answers. We should show great respect and sympathy to this vital issues and questions and not to discard them as useless and unattractive.
Benefits of positive human relationship
Human relationships at all levels with the self, others, society and God be it in friendship, dating, courtship or marriage are naturally most essential to life. It accompanying benefits are as follows:
Ø It supplies love and affection
Ø Provides emotional support and loyalty
Ø Guarantees stability and security
Ø Supplies companionship and friendship
Ø Satisfies material and psychological needs and fulfillment.
It can be an elevating and enriching experience if pursued positively, but also can be as difficult and most horrifying as we make it if lived negatively, causing discomfort, heartache and frustration. The power lies within us to make our choice and we have to look in the right direction.
Our Dreams, Hopes and Goals
Children and youth all have Dreams, Hopes, and Goals. A sad number of people give up on their Dreams and quit prematurely. Do not be among that group. Do not permit difficulty, discomfort or discouragement to deter you from your hopes and goals.
· Pursue them consistently, persistently and perseveringly
· Be encouraged
· Be inspired
· Be motivated
· Be empowered and
· Be supported to carry on.
First, it is important to know that the Lord does have a plan for each of our lives. When we operate within its boundaries, we soon discover His will for the many situations we face. Living within the will of God requires something from each one of us, to yield our lives through personal surrender to God. So the question is do you trust God with your life? Your relationship? Your Job? Your home? Your career? Your marriage? Your finances? Your future? The surrender to God is our standard as Christian Youth after the heart of Jesus Christ. Faced with a certain death, Jesus prayed, ‘Not my will, but Yours be done’ (Luke 22:42). When you surrender to God, you no longer choose to live your life for yourself; instead, you are deciding to live the way He has chosen for you.
Parental Desires and Questions
Parents desire the very best for their children. They often wonder what it will be like for their children growing up in today’s world with all its trappings and complexities. Will they make good choices and decisions as they pass through the earthquake of modernity with all its confused values? What kinds of pressures will they face in school and among their friends? Will they buy into any of the messages pounded into them by popular music and media? Will they be part of the minority that say no to premarital sex, substance abuse, depression and the host of other problems that have woven themselves into the fabric of today’s youth culture? Will they be healthy? Parents have the fundamental duty to make the spiritual health and development of their children their primary goal because this is all important to the future lives and happiness of their children.
Employment Challenges
Shaped by society and its institutions, the youth today find it easier to be where everyone else is. They negatively go with the flow and grow to be adults whose personal sense of right and wrong hinges on what everybody else is doing ‘Crowd mentality’. What then are the employment challenges in a world that sends different message and call our youth to follow its ways? A random survey I conducted recently revealed that practically all the Nigerian youth express a desire for a stable and secure future; for wealth and prestige and also to obtain position of leadership and have chance to influence government policies. Hence the need for their empowerment. According to the Hand book of Children and the Media, youth aggressive behavior patterns and perception are a mirror of what they experience in their real environment—frustration, aggression, unemployment and problematic circumstances.[1] Some of the employment and admission challenges in Nigeria include:
§ Lack of Job
§ lack of good merit system
§ Favoritism
§ Tribalism
§ god fatherism
§ Quota system
§ war of names
§ war of numbers and compromising values.
How do we find God’s Will?
With so many changes in our world today, people everywhere are asking, ‘How do I find God’s will for my Life?’ College graduates who had planned to enter a career are finding it is almost impossible to get work and employment. Businessmen and women are challenged to compromise values and ethics for profit capitalization; Our people and masses are generally losing their homes and vocations, and in the midst of it all, they are losing their sense of meaning and direction to life.
How could we find God’s will as Youth in this discouraging and oppressive environment where our parents, politicians and religious leaders are increasingly becoming permissive, reckless, careless, unethical, or downright cruel, and are not the least sorry about it? The beautiful Biblical story of Joseph, the favorite child of Rachel and Jacob in Genesis chapters 39, 40 and 41 gives us possible godly answers to our questions, decisions and choices. His jealous half-brothers hated him so much that they sold him into slavery, went through hard labor in Egypt and yet survived. People cannot imagine how God Could possibly bring good out of their situation. But He does it every day says Dr. Charles Stanley in the InTouch Magazine. Let us consider the principles Joseph exemplified which are still effective to us Youth today:
1. Don’t be afraid, but fear God: Despite his hostile environment, Joseph never let anxiety about offending his boss or losing his Job rule him. Instead He chose to fear only God. Psalm 34:9 reminds us that ‘those who fear him will have all they need.’ Joseph was motivated by the desire to honor the Lord. People and even Pharaoh noticed him.
2. Speak the Truth: When Joseph warned Pharaoh of the horrible famine God revealed would soon ravaged Egypt, he did not soft-pedal the truth. In today’s dire economy, Joseph’s circumstances remind us to speak up clearly and with Courage. Choosing the right time and positive words, you can honestly confront a problem by telling the truth.
3. Do the right thing: When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, he rejected her outright. ‘My master trusts me. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God’. (Genesis 39:8-9). Always choose right, even when nobody is watching. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to honor and glorify God. God honors efforts that are focused on pleasing Him.
4. Flee Evil: If your work situation offers no alternative but to compromise your values, leave! Joseph fled from Potiphar’s house, literally running away from his boss’s promiscuous wife. Corporate scandals, internet porn, and workplace temptations are prevalent today, and you may feel compelled to stay in a job where sin reigns, but do not yield to pressure. Look for another placement elsewhere; God has something better for you.
5. Know your strengths: When the false accusation by Potiphar’s wife landed him in jail, Joseph chose to make the best of it and glorified God by working diligently. So know your strengths and use your gifts and abilities to benefit others in any way possible. Your purpose in the place God has called you to serve goes far beyond fulfilling basic responsibilities.
6. Give the Lord Credit: Joseph did not boast about his gifts. He gave credit to God. When his fellow prisoners were distressed by their dreams, He pointed them toward his source of help. ‘Interpreting dreams is God’s business,’ he assured them (Genesis 40:8).
7. Be patient: Joseph was in prison two long years before his hard, faithful work was rewarded (Genesis 41:1). Through Joseph’s years of service and endurance, the Lord had prepared him to lead a nation and save it from tragedy.
8. Forgive: Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him into slavery. ‘Am I God that I can punish you?’ ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.’ Genesis 50:19-20). So instead of harboring bitterness or the desire for revenge, forgive those who hurt you; and stop to consider how the Lord might be using someone’s negative actions towards you for good.
9. Glorify God: Even in his new promoted position and job, Joseph did not forget that the Lord was still the source of all good things. He named his second son Ephraim (fruitfulness), acknowledging that God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief (Genesis 41:52). Joseph teaches us what it means to put the Lord first in both good times and bad.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I think that by productive and creative investment in human knowledge and youth skills acquisition programs, peace and development could be attained. In order to eradicate youth violence and hostility in the society, the society needs to invest more in the areas that will benefit and develop Nigerian youths, which will automatically give strength to the nation’s political, economic, social, and geographic as well as cultural/ethnic issues and reduce the incidence of violence. Therefore, we must collectively unite to fight youth unemployment, ignorance and poverty, and to eradicate violence in the heart of our people. Now is the time to act!
Rev. Fr. Michael Adefemi Adegbola, Director Media Service Centre, Kaduna Nigeria 2011
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