The Silent Next Generation

A few weeks ago, we hopped on the first plane of the day to Phoenix, Arizona to attend our granddaughter Bella’s college graduation.  Her college years flew by for me and I was caught off-guard at how quickly they were ending.  I don’t know about Bella, but Lele wasn’t ready.

Rewind three years.  She had used every spare week of her junior and senior high school year visiting universities around the country trying to find that one university that was the “perfect” fit for her.  She could have gone most anywhere....her GPA allowed it.  

And she chose GCU - Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

I won’t lie; I had never heard of it.  But turns out, it’s the largest Christian university in the country.  As she prepared to move 1000 miles away from home for the first time and barely know anyone there, I found myself proud and nervous as she loaded her Jeep, waved goodbye and drove to Phoenix.  

Her Lele cried that day....a new chapter was beginning.

Back to the present.  She had, indeed, found “her people” at GCU and she lived a full life volunteering with the homeless shelter, making good grades, finding good friends to explore life with and trusting God through it all in her 3 years at GCU.  She became a mighty warrior for God and her love for Him spilled out of her everywhere she went.  

Her Lele cried that day....happy tears.

On her graduation day as I sat in the stands with 6,999 (no exaggeration!) other family members, my mind couldn't help but think of all I had been seeing on the nightly news for weeks.  Palestinian riots at American universities, keffiyeh (muslim scarfs) covered faces, demands, tents, destruction, spray painting, chaos and canceled graduations at some of the most prestigious and expensive universities around this country.  

But none of that was happening at GCU.  Instead, I saw smiles, prayers being prayed, caps with life scriptures painted on them being worn on the heads of new graduates and listened as they sung Amazing Grace before a single diploma was handed out.  It was like two different worlds.

And her Lele cried that day too.....relieved tears she picked the right world.

So often we, as Christians, feel we are losing the battle.  We see our next generation spewing hate, having no conscience, no accountability and it feels as though everything is upside down.  Bad is now good, right is now wrong, girls are now boys and men want to have babies.  They celebrate abortion as if they won the lottery and curse those who defend life.  It often times, to me, feels hopeless and too far gone to fix. 

SPOILER ALERT!!  It’s not!!  There is a silent next generation that is bigger than what we see on the news.  They have morals, they have dreams, they have values....and they know God didn’t make a mistake when molding their gender in the womb and they know that every life....every - single - life.....born and unborn...is precious and created by God. 

I call them the Silent Next Generation....they are REAL and I have been a witness that they exist.   Don’t lose hope simply because they aren't screaming and you don’t see them on the nightly news; simply trust that God is lifting up a new Next Generation and it is going to be the BEST yet!

Thank and Trust God!