Chris Colquitt is a campus minister for the Reformed University Fellowship at Northwestern University. 

In a recent talk he was speaking about faith and Gen Z. That’s the generation born roughly between 1996 and 2010. 

One of the things he talked about was how kids were (and are) raised, and the influence this has on their faith-formation. Many people in Gen Z have been raised to avoid pain and discomfort at all costs. If something doesn’t feel right it must be wrong, they are often told. 

Here’s a part of the problem. Christianity includes discomfort and pain. It doesn’t only include those things, but they most certainly are a part of the mix. Jesus says: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). That doesn’t sound like a walk in the park. Or consider 2 Timothy 3:12: “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…”

With this in mind, Colquitt says: “If you’ve been raised to see discomfort and pain as a warning sign that you’re on the wrong track perhaps it is no wonder that this younger generation at times finds it hard to believe.”*

I’m sure that many of us want the next generation to follow Jesus. But I sometimes wonder if we’re simply not being honest enough with them. Perhaps we spend a lot of time talking about helping others, forgiveness, and making good decisions (all good things), but not enough time talking about carrying crosses, being ridiculed, and how discomfort and pain are a consistent and real part of life.

Following Jesus makes you different. We have beliefs that are increasingly counter-cultural. We have customs that can seem strange. But we also serve a God who is the author of salvation, who gives us a life of purpose and power, and who can use our discomfort and pain not only to advance his kingdom but to refine and strengthen us.

As we talk about faith with young people—whether a child, grandchild, family member, friend, or youth at church—let’s be honest. Sheltering them from the truth, or encouraging them to always flee from discomfort and pain, might actually be encouraging them to flee from the only Saviour there is.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

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Notes:

–*As quoted in the TGC Podcast titled “The Strength Gen Z Christians Need.” Posted on September 1, 2023. 

–The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on November 6, 2023.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.