Ecclesiastes 12:1 - Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”
Last week, I was riding in my car with the windows down, singing an old country song on the way to the grocery store. As I sang, I began daydreaming that I was on the stage of The Voice, singing this exact song to the crowd. All of the judges flipped their chairs over at the exact same time when they heard my voice! The crowd was cheering, and the lights were flashing as I ended the song on a high note. Everyone went crazy as the judges all fought over the chance to train me.
For a whole week, I practiced the same song over and over again, continuing the same daydream. Then at one point, I stopped daydreaming. I thought, “Maybe I should see what it takes to be a contestant on that show.”
The next day, I was reading my Bible and randomly flipped to Ecclesiastes 12:1 where it says, “Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”
This verse hit me. It was kind of a wake-up call. Though I was only day-dreaming about being professional singer on reality TV, I realized then how ridiculous that dream really was. God had not called me to do that. The last thing I need is to pursue fame and forget about my true purpose. God called me to something better! He called me to do exactly what I am currently doing: writing blog posts, making podcasts, leading worship at my church, and spreading the gospel. That is my purpose.
When Solomon wrote this verse in Ecclesiastes, he was writing from experience. He was warning young people everywhere to not make the same mistakes he did in his youth. Most of Solomon’s young life had been a blur of excitement. He was one of the richest and wisest kings in history. He had wealth, wisdom, women, land, power, and a prosperous nation to rule. But even though he made the country of Judah extremely wealthy, he did something very wrong: he forgot his Creator. Thus, towards the end of his life, he was a depressed old man who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes to warn people of the fleetingness of life.
Solomon is expressing throughout Ecclesiastes that youth is fading. No one can be youthful forever. (As a 27-year-old woman, I am beginning to realize this from experience.) He is warning young people that if they forget God in their youth, they will miss out on all the wonderful blessings and purposes God has for them during that time.
To all young adults reading this, I am giving you a call to action:
1. First and foremost, don’t forget your Creator!
Even though your life may be exciting and filled with new experiences, never stop worshipping God. You won’t regret it in the long run! God will move you to so many fulfilling and unique purposes that you could never experience if you aren’t in line with His will.
2. Secondly, try to get involved in a Christian college and career small group in the area.
You never know who you might be able to help or influence. You are needed as a person who can touch another young adult’s life!
As for older Christians, I am respectfully suggesting different call to action:
1. Young adults need you!
Though it may not always be comfortable, many college students appreciate and respect a mentor that they can talk to, rely on, or get advice from.
2. Secondly, pray for the younger generations.
They are the ones who are going to lead others to Christ in the future. Trust me, they need all the prayers they can get.
In general, and for every age group, it is valuable to remember God even when things are exciting, busy, and are going our way. God is the one who blesses us with those exciting things in our life, so it is important to take time to remember Him and thank Him every single day for the wonderful things he has done for us.