THE TEMPERATE TEEN

CONTROL, CONTROL, WHO*S IN CONTROL?

by Sarah Dowell

"Let no man despise thy youth: but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" I Tim. 4:12

Have you ever listened to a group of teen-agers talking? Have you noticed any habits of their speech? Many people today have a bad habit of using the incorrect verb forms for the past tense. Slang phrases like ‘my bad* are used instead of saying, "It was my mistake." Rather than correctly saying, "She said," they say, "She goes." You can frequently hear ‘yo, awesome, and um, ya know* in most any dialogue. Lots of teens also have bad habits of repeating certain words and phrases. Notice them in the following conversation below.

"She was like so-o-o-o late for the dance and I was just like ‘Where is she?*

And um, when she finally gets there, she like looks at me, and she goes, ‘Well, I forgot my purse. My bad. I just couldn’t dare come to the dance without my purse, right?*

And um, I was like, ‘Well, you could*ve come on without a purse.’

And then she was like, ‘Just look at that guy. He’s just awesome! He’s so cool. He’s coming this way. Chill now. Just go along with whatever I say, like, don’t you even breathe that I was late about my purse.’

And then the guy comes up and he goes, ‘Oh, hi! What’s up?*

And she goes, ‘Yo, whatever.*

And so then I go, ‘Did you ever see a girl dance with her purse?* Boy, did she get hot! She just gets so mad! It’s like I just embarrassed her about her purse right in front of this awesome hunk. Alls I did was, like, ask a question. Excu-u-u-se me!"

DO YOU CONTROL YOUR HABITS, OR DO THEY CONTROL YOU?

God*s Word says in Matt. 6: 7, ". . . use not vain repetitions. . ." Although Jesus said that concerning prayer, it could certainly apply to conversations today. I would like to challenge teens to be conscience of the way they talk. See if you can catch yourself saying the same things over and over. Make an effort to try to realize when you repeat particular words.

Or ask a family member or friend to point it out when they see a bad habit. Then attempt to break the habit. If you have the desire and put forth the effort, God will enable you to master your habits. "I can do all things through Christ which stregntheneth me" Phil. 4:13. You can do it!

Can you think of any other habits you have? Do you bite your fingernails? Do you constantly smack or lick your lips? Do you pop your knuckles repeatedly? Do you tap your foot when you*re supposed to be sitting still? Do you look away from people when they*re speaking to you? What is your posture like? Is it slumpy or straight? Do you lay your head down or put your elbows on the table? Do you toss your hair a lot? Are you conscience of your breath? Do you address your elders with respect? Do you have bad manners? Many habits can be annoying to others. We can have victory over bad habits through God*s Word. As we read, study, and memorize the scriptures, God will use them to conform us to His image. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" Rom. 6:12-13. God has freed us from the slavery of sin, so now it IS possible for us to control ourselves. The fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5:23 is temperance. "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you" Rom. 6:17. We can now conquer our bad habits by learning the doctrine of grace (rather than law) and have a heart of gratitude to God for His accomplishment in the death and resurrection of His Son in our behalf Now we can triumph over wrong compulsions and not be dominated by addictions. "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life" Rom. 6:22.

"Teen" Commandment Three:

Be master of your habits, or thy will master you.