spiritual life

Can Gen Z rise up?

JOY journal

This is something I think about a lot. My daughters are Gen Z. Their friends and dating pool are Gen Z. I have skin in the game.

Photo by lalesh aldarwish on Pexels.com

What will become of this unique generation — whose span is bookended by 9/11 and COVID and whose very name suggests finality?

There’s a lot of good, but I’ve seen too many of their peers, some of whom I’ve watched grow up from infancy, fall prey to all kinds of self-destructive behavior. A few weeks ago, one from the class year ahead of my oldest jumped from the very bridge that my 2020 book release features.

It was a crushing moment even though none of us knew this young person.

“God,” I prayed as I lay down that night and pulled my Bible close to my chest, “Is there any hope for a generation that has been raised in a time like this?” God, like He so often does if we will actually listen, answered. His response to my moment of motherly panic was right there in Acts 3.

It’s a vignette from the time immediately after Jesus’s resurrection and return to heaven. The apostles were trying to get their feet on the ground as to how the church would function without Jesus’s bodily presence when Peter and John came across a disabled man — flat on the ground — begging in order to support himself.

It was the best the man could do.

But God could do better.

The Holy Spirit grabbed hold of Peter and Peter grabbed hold of the man. “I can’t offer you money,” Peter said as he pulled the man to his feet. “But, I can sure share what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

And, the man did. He rose. He leaped. He praised his way all the way into the temple of God.

I know. I know. A typical Jesus story. But a handful of words at beginning of the account leaped like, well, a lame man healed by surprise. Before that life-changing day, the man was “lame from his mother’s womb.”

Lame from his mother’s womb. Literally born into unavoidable and insurmountable difficulty. Yet, that in no way limited what God could do.

That was true then. It is still true today. God is able and He is reaching out. Believers are reaching out alongside Him. (There really is a faithful remnant in spite of what circumstances would otherwise suggest.)

God is not limited by what Gen Z has experienced. He is not limited by what Gen Z or any other generation has not experienced. He is not limited by anything.

Hear Him! Hear what He is saying: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Published by JOY journal

After a long career writing for local newspapers — and, on rare occasions, for publications such as The Washington Post — Nora's word life is now focused on blogging and occasional writing projects of special interest. Also the author of several books, Nora lives in Appalachia with her husband and a goodish dog named Finn, who is delighted whenever the family's two adult daughters are home from college.

23 thoughts on “Can Gen Z rise up?”

  1. So true Nora. This is a very tough time for our youth. My granddaughter didn’t have a graduation from nursing. Just saw her picture on line, and what she was going to be. My husband always wanted to see her graduate from nursing. But we do have a God that gives us joy through the last few years of all we are going through with covid. He will bring us through. Prayers for our youth of today.

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    1. I sure wish you guys had been able to have that cap-and-gown moment. What a trying time it is for every generation! Yes, prayers for Gen Z and us all!! Have a blessed weekend, Mary Lou!

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  4. Nora this is incredibly encouraging and insightful. Thank you for sharing what the Lord showed you. I’m studying 1 Peter right now and this goes right in hand with verse 15, “… Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Your words, “God is not limited by what Gen Z has experienced. He is not limited by what Gen Z or any other generation has not experienced. He is not limited by anything. Hear Him! Hear what He is saying: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” is that hope we have in Christ, the hope we can share as we engage in conversations with our Gen Z children.

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      1. No it never does. There is such a reassurance in knowing that, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40). I hope you and Miles are able to get out and enjoy some spring hiking.

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      2. Oops! Missed this until today!! Grass is greening and flowers are blooming here for now … We have done some good hiking, thank you! We like to go on a paved trail along the Ohio River this time of year as there’s no muddy paws on the car upholstery when we’re done!

        But, it’s turned kind of cold after a couple of really warm weeks. I had to haul out my ski parka last Thursday, but it’s not freezing at night so the potted plants are still outside. Odd.

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  7. A faithful and powerful read. Lots of good things are happening along with covid. But the youngsters are losing the opportunities to study etc..
    Only God is the answer to lead us through this circumstance.
    Have a blessed week !! 💜

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  8. What a fitting illustration from Scripture. One thing Peter did that stands out to me is starting with getting the man to make eye contact, telling him what he was NOT going to give him, then giving him something so much better. Gen Z is looking for the wrong things. If we can catch their attention and point them to something (SomeONE) better…
    I have missed your posts, Nora. For some reason I have not been getting notifications for them lately. I’ll see if I can “follow” again.

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    1. Lots of truth in that comment. Everyone’s looking for God, whether they know it or not.

      You may not be missing my posts. I’ve not been posting much because I’ve gone back to newspaper work — as an independent contractor, which is kind of a new thing. I’ve not had much time to blog.

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      2. 🙂 Thanks. There’s actually a lot of good journalists out there — especially in the smaller city newspapers that cover the parts of democracy that affect Americans’ daily life the most. We’ve lost so many papers in the last 10-15 years. A lot of communities are depending on word of mouth (via social media) for day-to-day news. This is concerning, in my opinion.

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