How Can I Impact Society if I'm Just a Teenager?

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” - Joel A. Barker

Teenagers can change the world! Have you ever felt that your age group defined your behavior or potential? Think about this for a moment: society actually goes to great lengths to promote the idea that immaturity and rebellion are either acceptable or just “phases” that all teens go through at one time or another. This myth is mind-boggling (not to mention crazy)! This subtle mindset is, in reality, putting an entire subset of the world’s population in a box! 

Even if you feel like you are pretty mature and have good relationships with your authorities, there are other culture myths to bust. There is so much more to life than hanging out with friends, going to the movies, and being glued to your smartphone like the average 21st century teen. God has called you to a lifestyle greater than this! You must take a stand and refuse to allow society to define your teenage years.

Teens who Crushed Culture Myths:

History shows us some incredible examples of teenagers who maximized their teen years:

1. Alexander the Great established his own colony by the age of 16 (imagine that!) and went on to conquer the world before his death. 
2. At the age of 17, classical composer and musician, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was employed as a court musician by the ruler of Salzburg. 
3. Sacagawea, a woman of the Lemhi Shoshone tribe, acted as interpreter and guide on the Lewis and Clark Expeditions at the tender age of 17.
4. A Canadian named Joseph Bombardier invented the snowmobile at the age of 15! 
5. Florence Nightingale received a calling from God at the age of 16 that led her to spearhead the modern nursing movement during the 1800s.

As you can see, many of the great “movers and shakers” of history weren’t defined by age or experience but by purpose and passion. I would suggest that one of the most formidable threats that could challenge Satan’s influence on the world would be an army of young people who have a passion for God and who are serious about changing this world for Christ. In contrast to culture’s low expectations, God has tremendous, exciting things in store for teens who are willing to make the most of their time!  

Are you Wasting your Life?

“We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.” (David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream)

If the extent of your Christian influence is being a “pew warmer” in church and hanging out with the youth group, you’ve missed out on your real life purpose. Going to church and attending Christian events is a good idea, but if you participate for the wrong reasons, these and other “spiritual” activities promote an empty Christianity, and don’t provide lasting change in yourself or others. Now, let’s take a look back to daily realities and examine some eye-opening statistics:

• 22% of teenagers long into Facebook more than 10 times a day
• The average amount of time per month the average person spends on Facebook is 5 hours and 33 minutes.
• The average American 8-18 years old play VIDEO GAMES for 13.2 hours per week
• On average teens spend about 20 hours a week watching TELEVISION
• Only 40% of Christian teens read their Bible apart from church services
• 80% of youth are leaving the church by the time they are in college
• The average time a Christian spends in prayer is 4-7 minutes a day

Do these stats resemble you at all? Do you feel stuck in a rut of apparent uselessness and/or complacency? In the book of Ephesians, Paul tells the church, “Redeem the time, for the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). To “redeem” something is to take back what once was lost or wasted and make it valuable again. No matter what situations surround you, God is able to do wonders with a willing heart!

We can either impact society or contribute to its utter downfall. Our time can be well spent or wasted. We can either blend into the popular culture mold or we can reshape society by “redeeming” the time. Teenage years are a gift! If you give these years to God and genuinely seek Him, and you will impact this world for generations to come!

Stay tuned for the next post in this series: “How Teenagers Can Make a Lasting Impact on the World” for practical application of today’s thoughts.

How has God called you to impact society? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please comment below or you are welcome to contact me directly. You can either email me or leave me a voicemail or text my google number: 646-504-626