“You’ve always taken me seriously, God, made me welcome among those who know and love you.” Psalm 61.5
Growing up is often puzzling, no matter where is happens. Teenage years are full of turmoil. Maturing on the job or in life is often marked with potholes of mistakes. No matter what kind of training one has, or how much one is willing to listen, the transition often is bumpy.
My experience is that one key factor in this time is the perception one has of their self and their own intrinsic value. Often people who are growing realize what is going on them. They know they are changing as well as the relationship they have with people around them. They understand intellectually what is happening however there is an emotional confidence lag. An essential driver for the emotional equation is the personal sense of value and contribution. Questions answered by our behavior with each other include the following:
Do I value you from the inside out no matter how you act?
Am I willing to deal with the emerging you or with the you I thought I knew yesterday?
Will I start fresh or will the impact of every decision and comment in the past continue to haunt?
In many ways, not knowing a teenager allows one to take the mature approach. We can accept the young person, as they are, fresh and new, without the baggage of past decisions, as young adults. We respond to them with respect, honor, and grace. The same dynamic can play out in a work environment. Often the workplace is more difficult because of the natural stereotypes that come with appearance and surface perceptions.
God is amazing! God continues to have the same problem with our behavior. Although we grow, we continue to mark our life by a series of blunders. Armed with the knowledge that we have, are, and will continue to make mistakes he accepts and loves us fresh with every choice. We are of value not because of what we do, rather because of who we are!
