The 4 A's

I was talking with a fellow youth minister recently and he mentioned having been at a youth ministry conference this summer (yes, we are such GIANT youth ministry nerds that we actually go to conferences to talk about it and learn how to love our AMAZING teens better! =) ). At this conference, he heard a speaker talk about how society at large is concerned with what he called, "The 4 A's" - Academics, Athletics, Appearance, and the Arts.

Wow, that really rings true to me when I stop and think about it for a minute. Conversations I have with you guys frequently involve talking about a few, if not all, of these topics.

So many of you are stressed out by school obligations and feel an immense pressure to perform well in the academic world because everyone is telling you that you have to get into a good college in order to "succeed" in life.

Many of you are on multiple sports teams or deeply committed to playing a particular sport, some purely out of love for the game, some because of dreams of getting a scholarship and/or becoming a professional athlete, some because it make a good line on you college applications and many for several or all of these reasons . And those of you who are not are often passionate followers of a professional team or athlete - often influenced by their perceived value or worth in the popular culture.

Everywhere we look, we are told that appearance and value go hand in hand. The "pretty people" are portrayed as being happier, more successful, more worthwhile and valued as humans. We see this played out on TV, in movies, in books, ads....basically everywhere!

And all you have to do is think about how much money the entertainment industry rakes in every year to see the importance we place on the arts. Singers, musicians, and actors are among the highest paid people in our culture (along with professional athletes...another of the "A's"). We dedicate countless websites, magazines and news programs to following the escapades and lives of these people, not to mention the dozens of reality shows aimed at finding the next great singer, performer, or model.

Now, I want to be clear about something - none of these things are bad. None of them are inherently evil or destructive. They are all, in fact, at their root, about people using the talents and skills that God has graced them with, and that is a good thing! The deciding factor, really, is what priority do these things play in your life? Are you able to engage in the "4 A's" and still keep your life in right order - with God at the top of the list, family next, and all of these other things falling somewhere lower down?

Because not only are the "4 A's" examples of people using their gifts and talents - they are actually all things that God himself has celebrated through out all of time - and He speaks about ALL of them in the Scriptures! Let's take a look...

Academics: "That people may know wisdom and discipline, may understand intelligent sayings; May receive instruction in wise conduct, in what is right, just and fair; That resourcefulness may be imparted to the naive, knowledge and discretion to the young. The wise by hearing them will advance in learning, the intelligent will gain sound guidance,To comprehend proverb and byword, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:1-7

Athletics: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. " Hebrews 12:1-2

Appearance: "You are all beautiful, my beloved, and there is no blemish in you" Song of Songs 4:7

Arts: "Sing a new song to the LORD, who has done marvelous deeds, Whose right hand and holy arm have won the victory.The LORD has made his victory known; has revealed his triumph for the nations to see, Has remembered faithful love toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth; break into song; sing praise. Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn shout with joy to the King, the LORD. Let the sea and what fills it resound, the world and those who dwell there. Let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy, Before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth, To govern the world with justice and the peoples with fairness." Psalm 98

Now these are just four examples among many where we can hear God celebrating the "4 A's" throughout Scriptures! Want to read more? Just type in "Bible verses about _________" into Bing!

I think that by remembering that the "4 A's" were in fact created AND celebrated by God Himself is important - because then we can keep in the forefront of our minds that engaging in our culture does not mean disengaging with God, or vice-versa - it just means making sure that we engage in the "4 A's" in a way that brings glory and praise to God, and keeps our priorities and lives pointed to Christ.