On Wednesday The Courier Mail front page headline read “CHILD THUGS” and the picture accompanying it shows a student with a knife in his hand behind his back. The article delivers the alarming statistics that 10-14 year olds have offenses numbering 16,414 with the following breakdown;

Assault 1106
Weapons Offences 164
Sexual Offences 297
Robbery 149
Property Offences 11,630
Drugs 556

Is anybody concerned about the condition of our young generation? Does anyone care about the fact that this generation of young children is growing up not knowing how to live together with their fellow human beings? Our young people are growing up without a clear understanding of the basics of life, such as what is morally right and wrong, the acceptable standards for living life well with others in this world and just basic manners of knowing how to be polite and courteous. Friends, if kids continue on their present path all that awaits them and their families is a lifetime of frustration, anger, pain and suffering interspersed with prolonged periods of incarceration in jail.  Is this what we want for our kids?

Why do we find ourselves in this situation? Well, I have a theory! 

There was a time when as a culture we had a more of a consciousness of God. Even if the sum total of it was just attending church a few times a year, or maybe saying a quick prayer of thanksgiving for the food we were about to receive, or even just a small prayer at night while tucking the kids into bed. The family unit had a God consciousness about it. Add to this the fact that at School we would have Religious Education every week. It was during this time we learned from the bible- the ‘God Manual for Human Life’. We learned about God and how much he loves and cares for us, and at the same time we learned how God expects us to treat, respect and love each other. It doesn’t sound like all that much when it comes to making a difference but I think the social spin off was huge.

We now live in a world where the consciousness of God is all but removed from our homes, families and schools and I believe this to be a major contributor to the instability in our young people. I think if we committed as families and educators to reintroduce a God consciousness back into the fabric of society it would not be long before we would start is see a change of behavior in our young people.

Now you might be thinking why would this make such a big difference? When a God consciousness is part of a human being’s infrastructure it has some remarkable effects:

1. It brings comfort knowing that life is not all up to me. I know that I am not stumbling through life alone feeling like an accident. It actually brings hope, comfort and purpose to the human soul to know that God has a plan for your life. God consciousness actually takes away a certain amount of the stress and anxiety about life. A lot of human reaction and behavior stems from feelings of being out of control with no purpose, plan and hope.

2. It brings a subconscious accountability with it. If I have a God consciousness then I am aware that I am not top dog, there is someone I am accountable to for this life. Friends this changes everything about how I think and how I speak and treat other people, because deep down I know God expects me to behave in a way that pleases him. 

Even though I am a Pastor, I am not talking about making everybody attend church on Sundays. Although that may be a positive next step as most churches can support parents in bringing up children. I am just talking about having a God consciousness within the fabric of our lives and maybe consider God’s advice on how we should live our lives. We need to get to the core problem that causes wrong behavior to develop. I believe it to be a lack of God consciousness starting with families and the education system.

As a kid growing up it was this consciousness of God that taught me right from wrong things like;
- Don’t swear and use foul language.
- Respect and honour Mum and Dad.
- Be faithful to your husband or wife.
- Don’t lie cheat, steal and embezzle from others, treat them the way you would like to be treated.
- Be kind and considerate to all people and especially the elderly- stand on the bus for a lady or elderly person to have your seat.
- Never hit a lady.

When I was young, due to my Mum and Dad’s family upbringing we practiced a lot of God consciousness at home even though we only went to church once a year. That, along with the Religious Education I received at school, is how I learned how much God loves me and how He expects me to love others.

I wonder what would happen if we got this spiritual underpinning of the fabric of society back in place? What difference would it make if a God consciousness was alive and well in the family home and school system? Parents why not give it a shot? Just maybe we can save our kids from the path of self destruction that they are currently on. 

Keep searching out the truth, for it’s the truth that brings freedom and life to yourself and to others.

Pastor Kev