The student said , " If I tell my dad the truth they might get a divorce and I don ' t want them to . But I know God doesn ' t want me to lie . What should I do ?" Can you imagine how Mama felt ? Embarrassed to the max . What do you want to be doing when Christ Returns ?
Depression and the American Teenager ( p . 17 )
You are the most abused , tempted , and abandoned generation in American history . I cannot guarantee you that in this world apart from Christ things are going to get any better . Studies show that 75 % of teenagers are experiencing some form of depression . A recent USA Today article tells us that " with each generation , we ' re getting more depressed , a new study says . This first look at trends of major depression finds that since 1915 the risk has increased , nearly doubling for each successive generation ." " Depression is a worldwide phenomenon ... happening at younger and younger ages ," says Myrna M . Weissman , a psychiatrist at Columbia University , New York City . She adds , " Most of us feel more out of control of our lives than in the early 1900 ' s ." ( Mike Snider , " Depression is growing with each generation ," in USA Today , December 3 , 1992 ).
Emil Brunner once said , " What oxygen is to the lungs , such is hope to the meaning of life ." Christ knows that without hope , no one can experience a full life . And He wants the students of the 90 ' s to understand that because of His deep love for us , He will return . The expectation of His return can give us hope far beyond our depression .
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