It is so easy to look around and clump people into groups.  Our society seems to thrive on categorizing and labeling, maybe to try and make sense of things.  Some sad but common thought processes:  the elderly are out-dated, the poor are ignorant, Christians are boring and hypocrites, immigrants just want a free ride, kids with energy are ADHD, and all teenagers are rebellious.

As there must always be a basis on which to begin any thought, we could probably find examples to support each of these generalities.  However, I would much rather show the countless exceptions, knowing that to speak life over someone is to call them forth to who their Creator sees them to be.

Take teenagers, for example.  I have two teenage sons and have learned priceless lessons through them as I've submitted to the Spirit's leading.  It is easy to see the fashion trends in hair, clothing, piercing, tattoos, etc. and say, "Well, they're just rebellious."  And, granted, many are - against parents, teachers, the law, the church.  But I heard the Spirit say to me that there is also something that He has put in each of us to move us forward and not stay stationary.  He has placed a hunger inside each of us to reach out past the norm, the inconsistencies, the questions, and the contradictions within ourselves and our society.  Sometimes the results are obviously positive, while other times we have to look past what we perceive as negative to see what lies within the heart.

I am not saying that I advocate rebellion; I do think, though, that not all of what we perceive as rebellious is necessarily so.  And where there is rebellion, possibly deeper issues need to be addressed.  In fact, I wonder if sometimes we push our kids into rebellion because we label them as such when they are simply growing and trying to find out who they are and what they like.

Time and again as I have gone to my Father to ask if I should allow my sons to do things that looked questionable in my eyes, He said, "Let them go."

• First, they need to live outside of a box and learn how to make decisions on their own - that includes the good ones and the bad.  They need to experience both the rewards of wisdom, and the forgiveness and grace that is quickly poured out from a loving Father and family in the face of error. 
• Second, I need to trust that the faithfulness, kindness, and mercy my Father has so generously given me is just as pointedly directed at them.  They are within the scope of His Spirit at all times, being led sovereignly to places of revelation and understanding - places that only He knows about where their hearts are forever captured by His love.
• Third, if we are willing to learn from those younger and different than ourselves, there are great treasures to be gained.  I have again found laughter and curiosity that had somehow slipped out of my life through the need to be responsible.  I now see that there are many ways to accomplish a task - not just my way.  And I know even more clearly that the bottom line with all people, no matter what they wear or how they act, is that they want to be genuinely loved and cherished - with no "but's."

Just as surely as my Father has led me on this journey to know His heart and mine, He is leading those all around us.  As we love liberally, our eyes begin to see what only the Spirit can show us - the vastness and intricacies of His plan!