You're 'Too Young:' Why Young Adults Do Have A Voice

     As a young adult, have you ever felt like not-so-young adults tend to write you off because you're not as "experienced" as they are? I feel this way too often for it to be okay. Recently, I was speaking to a much loved relative about different scriptural views and I couldn't help but feel like my point of view wasn't even being considered. I know that this was unintentional on my relatives part and that he couldn't really help it, but the experience deeply disturbed me. This wasn't the first time I felt this way and it definitely won't be the last. I know I cannot be alone in feeling this way. 

     Before I continue, I am not saying that we as young adults are always right. Not-so-young adults, this is not meant to make you feel attacked or to tell you that we should always be listened to. I understand that you have more life experience and that generally, you have more wisdom than we do. What I am saying is that your age and wisdom does not necessarily mean that you should not pay attention to what we have to say. We have a voice and we have a different perspective on things that could also have merit. We're not completely useless. 
     Unfortunately, I feel that young Christians tend to feel this more deeply than other young adults. Why? Because when you're trying to talk to someone about something that is so a part of you that without it you feel like you couldn't live a full life and someone pretty much tells you that you don't know what you're talking about, it has a tendency to break you to pieces. Again, I'm not saying we're always right, but you should at least hear us out with a humble heart and without thinking that we're wrong before we open our mouths. 
     Here's a few simple reasons why, as young Christians, we should be heard:

1. Because the Bible says we should. "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conducts, in love, in faith, in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12 ESV) Granted, this verse isn't exactly saying that you should take the time to listen to what we have to say, but it is saying that we can also be examples for believers. Being young doesn't mean that we can't be part of the community in a mature and useful way. 
2. Because there is a part of the world that adults may not have any idea about. We have to be honest with ourselves with this one. Young Christians come from the deep dark depths of high school, college, and the internet. We know what other young non-believers are doing, what they're thinking, and what they're saying about the Church. By listening to what we have to say, you may get a little insight on the best ways to reach youth that is currently in the dark. Whether you like it or not, we may be the only link to these souls and it wouldn't be very smart to leave us in the dust because of our age. 
3. Because this is a critical time in our Christian lives. "It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth." (Lamentations 3:27 ESV) We should take a moment and think how incredible it is when someone in their youth give themselves over to living a life in Christ. In this day and age, there is so much pressure to live in sin and to have fun before  you get old and start going to church. Many young people think that they have plenty of time to "get with Jesus" later on in there lives and they don't take into account that God could take them from this Earth at any moment. In your youth, you generally have less worries than when you're a full-fledged adult and it can be a truly decisive time for our faith. 
4. Because adults have more influence than they realize. Sure they know that we're supposed to respect them and that we're supposed to do what they say, but they don't often think about the fact that the way they act towards us shapes us more than what they tell us to do. If an adult is constantly making us feel small and that what we say has no merit, what is stopping us from believing it? These interaction can be detrimental to our faith because if these adults don't think that we have a voice, then doesn't their God think the same?

     This is a joint effort between the young and the not-so-young. We both need to listen to each other and to humble ourselves enough to really pay attention to what the other is trying to say. So adults, don't be so easy to write us off and young adults, don't always take it to heart if they do. Final word to young adults, your parents and the other adults in your life are wiser than you and they do have more life experience than you, so don't always think that they don't understand because they're "old." If you are fortunate enough to have God fearing adults in your life, lean on them and listen.