If you have kids living in your house, here are a few markers to shoot for as they approach young adulthood. If you have young adults, have conversations about these three goals. In any case, pray for your student!
These three goals come from a book I’ve been reading a book called It’s Not Too Late: The Essential Part You Play in Shaping Your Teen’s Faith by Dan Dupee.
Here’s what we want to strive for as our kids become young adults:
They Own It
It can no longer be the faith of the parents or family, the young adults must have personally taken hold of it. Through an experience with God and the continued involvement in prayer, scripture reading and other outward signs of living it out, this age group must own the faith for themselves.
It’s a Consequential Faith
This phrase, originally coined by Kendra Creasy Dean, means the young adults focus on living for God’s mission in the world. They begin to understand calling and the choices they are making to serve God by reaching out, sharing with neighbors and friends, and beyond. It’s living a faith that makes a difference.
It’s a Shared Faith
Though it’s deeply personal, faith cannot be private. A shared faith means being connected in community, most often involvement in a local church. This shared community keeps the fires of faith stoked and holds us accountable to continued living after God.
Here’s Dan Dupee’s definition: The young adult Christian owns his or her faith in Jesus Christ, reflects it in priorities and decisions, and lives it in community with other believers, seeking to influence the watching world.
