Psalm 78:5-8

5For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children;
6That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;
8And may not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
-Psalm 78:5-8

Living in a culture that focuses on individualism, much of the Church has lost sight on teaching children and youth. Through many churches you may find that youth or children's ministries are on the back burner. I do not believe that church leaderships are always entirely to blame in these cases. The culture we live in is so self-focused that sometimes it is a wonder that we even teach children at all. We want for the generations after us to be better than us. Unfortunately, it has become a cultural trope to demean generations after one's own. Instead of teaching and guiding next generations we draw a dividing line by way of insults and writing them off as hopeless.

Early on I remember being apart of a conversation between a mentor of mine and an elderly gentleman. This gentleman was going on about how the upcoming generations are worthless and have no care or work ethic or sense of responsibility. After a long tirade concerning the incapabilities of upcoming generations and how good his own generation was, my mentor casually mentioned that this next generation can't know unless they are taught. That to be said, the fault was upon the previous generation on not training the next.

Our first and greatest ministry is in our homes. Husbands to their wives, wives to their husbands, parents to their children. If we put even half as much effort into training our next generations as we do self-investment or self-entertainment, I believe things would be looking much brighter. The best part of this is that it is not too late to begin. Consider ways in which you can invest in teaching or training the next generation. Set the example yourself. Grow nearer to the Lord that you would have something to share.