Hope floats

Teens today are so irresponsible, unpredictable and they don’t know their heads from a hole in the ground.  Ever heard (or made) those comments before?

Teens are definitely in a world of their own sometimes. More than once my 15-year-old son Clay has opened the panty door and placed a gallon of milk on a shelf right beside the cereal when he finished pouring a glass of milk. Research shows that the frontal lobe of teenagers brains are not fully developed until they’re 23 years old. This is where planning, judgment and reasoning are formed. I guess I should expect to find milk in the pantry sometimes!

Teenager’s cell phones are as naturally a part of their bodies as the hair on their heads. It just is. If they misplace or lose their phones it’s like they’ve lost a limb. Life simply isn’t the same until they have their phone.

Teens can be hormonal, impulsive, and irrational. They are convinced that money simply appears whenever they need it. But for all the stress that can ensue with them, there are times when teens are simply amazing!

Recently my friend Kristin told me that she had lost her cell phone at a local family recreational site. Being a smart phone she had her bank information, passwords, contacts, memorable pictures and many other items stored on it. She quickly began scanning each area of the site for her phone, asking employees for help and other patrons as well. Coming across a group of teenage girls by the pool, she asked them too if they had seen her phone. Looking obviously uncomfortable, they all said they hadn’t seen it. Kristen knew they looked suspicious and felt in her heart that they indeed had her phone. She asked them again. They still said they didn’t have it. Having no proof, she and her family left for home.  

A couple of days later her husband called her at home. “Your phone is in the mail and will be here soon,” he said.

“What,” Kristen exclaimed. Her husband went on to tell her the whole story. One of the girls that Kristen had spoken to in the group by the pool had gone to church with her mom on Sunday. While at church she became so convicted of stealing the phone, that she confessed the entire thing to her mom. Her mom called Kristen’s husband who was listed on her phone and asked for their address.

That week Kristen got her phone back unscathed.

I was preparing to tape a video segment in a couple of days with a successful motivational speaker from North Carolina. I was nervous and hoping I wouldn’t flub it up!  While preparing, my nephew Zac came over to visit. I was scurrying around, checking and rechecking some items. Zac, being the comic he is, was jokingly harassing me about my segment.

“Don’t put that there. What if you sneeze during your taping? What are you going to wear? What if the dogs bark the whole time? I think I’ll come over and make faces at you while you’re taping!”

“Don’t you even think about coming over Zacarack,” (My nickname for him) I declared. “I’m nervous enough!”

The morning of the taping I got up early and began getting ready. While eating breakfast I received a text from Zac. It read “Morning Auntie, hey I just wanted to wish you Good Luck today with that guy. Don’t think of him as someone higher than you Auntie, just think of him as a teammate because you are both playing for the same team, brothers in Christ and want the same positive outcome. He just has a little more playing time and you can learn from his experiences. Hope it goes well!  Love you, Zacarack.”

I was blown away!  Wisdom beyond his years and truth as solid as it comes!  

So yes, teenagers are absent minded, immature, head strong and moody. But sometimes they give us those glimmers of optimism. A great conversation or moments of laughter together are so encouraging to those embedded in the teen years.  

Be encouraged! Don’t give up! The next time you find yourself discouraged with your teen and you wonder if there’s any hope, read this again. When all else fails, hope floats.


Andrea Sharp is the Founder of Apple of His Eye Ministries, and regularly speaks at women’s conferences and church retreats. Andrea has connected with hundreds of women, sharing her passion for the Lord while inspiring women to live peaceful, abundant lives. Contact her at andrea@appleofhiseyeministries.com.