It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
Lamentations 3:27-29
What strong yet hopeful words Jeremiah puts forth regarding youthful years. Why is it that Carl Marx, Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler, and others were so interested in the youth of their culture?
They understood that our early years often form the person we become.
Today, many can look back and see that their struggles are residual from their younger years. They may have had a rough life, and the influences in their lives were sinful. Maybe the yoke others placed on them was unbearable; therefore, they are not the people they would like to be.
Some might say, “Life isn’t fair,” and that is true. However, that admission confesses there must be something better, and there is. When you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, God declares you a new creation! He sets your life on a far different path from your upbringing and past. And He gives you a new heart ready to be trained in the things of God.
Spiritual training, like physical training, begins with exercise. First Timothy 4:7 exhorts, “...exercise yourself toward godliness.” God promises victory over the weight of your past through the healing power of His Word, but you must strive to obey it.
Train your heart to praise and worship God in all things, and nurture thankfulness by focusing on what you have rather than what you don’t have. Finally, be patient. Change takes time and is uncomfortable, but the effects of your youth will begin to fade.
That, my friend, is the way to a brighter future, no matter how old you are.
Watching for Our Blessed Hope
