As I go down my list of fundamentals that I follow, she looks increasingly amused. After I finish telling her my "code", she looks at me strangely. Laughing, she says, "You're not much of a rebel are you?" I pull back emotionally, embarrassed.
I don't even remember why we were discussing such things, we hardly knew each other. We were just on the same train. For days after that, though, her voice kept ringing inside my head, "You're not much of a rebel are you?","You're not much of a rebel are you?","You're not much of a rebel are you?"
After about day three of being embarrassed, I begin to wonder why her statement bothered me so much. I knew I was no rebel, and I had a cause. For some reason I was so disturbed by her comment.
Finally I realized, media would like to tell you that rebellion is normal, if not necessary, in teens. Think about, every Disney movie you watch, one of the kids is a rebel. There's always that punk metal band being played at your school. You can't walk into Barnes and Noble without being bombarded by child- rearing books. But all the while, kids are seeing all this stuff. That girl in the movie is the heroine. The punk band is being played everywhere nonstop by the "cool" kids. Mom's bookshelf is absolutely filled with those books. It's encouraging them to rebel! (Maybe not the child- rearing books, but you never know!)
I looked up the word "rebel", and essentially it means: a person who opposes a person or group in authority : a person who does
not obey rules or accept normal standards of behavior, dress, etc. *
When we rebel from our parents, we are really pulling a Jonah. "You don't control me!" "I can do what I want." "They just don't understand me." But eventually we wisen up. Sometimes it takes getting swallowed by a proverbial whale, but if that's what it takes.
The Heroic Side
When rebellion is heroic is when it is done in protest of something wrong. The Christians that are martyred in the Middle East by ISIS, they are rebels. But instead of rebelling against what is right, they are willing to sacrifice their own lives in protest of what is wrong. There is a very fine line between the two.
What those martyrs are doing is the most amazing act of faith ever. They are willing to die, be tortured, have anything done to them, because they are so solid in their faith. That is heroic rebellion.
The Stupid Side
When rebellion is stupid is when it's done in pride and vanity. This is most often seen in teenagers. I'll be honest, as teens, we are clueless. Sure, we know a lot more than when we were youngsters, or even just last year, but parents will always know what's best for us. To think that we know what is best for us is, I'll be frank, flat out stupid. What may seem like a good idea right now, will probably not be when you look at it in retrospect. That's when pride and vanity step in. Rebellion encourages us to do things that will make us vain. Rainbow colored hair, skimpy clothes, tattoos, body piercings. These are things your parents most likely don't approve of. Ask yourself this question and please answer honestly. Would you do all those things if your parents approved? That is stupid rebellion.
Well, I hope that this post was helpful on you view of rebellion. I know that this was frank, so if it applies to you, please don't take it personally. I'd just like to share with you what God wants for you. Have a great day!
*Courtesy of Merriam-Webster dictionary
No comments:
Post a Comment