I DARE YOU TO ASK A HIGHSHOOLER THESE QUESTIONS!

I love asking highschoolers these questions in this order:

The first question is this: What do you want to be when you grow up? Each person will always fall in one of two groups. The first group will look me straight in the eyes and say without any hesitation, “engineer!” or “architect!” or “accountant!” The other group will drop their head and look away with shame and mumble, “I don’t know…”

I proceed to the second question. “What do you think your parents want you to be when you grow up?” The first group will squint his eyes as the gerbil in his head wakes up and frantically jumps on the wheel. He’ll respond with a little less enthusiasm, “engineer.” or “architect.” or “accountant.” The second group looks at me with utter dread as if he were sitting guilty on the witness stand with his right hand in the air.

I ask the third question, “What do you think the Lord wants you to be when you grow up?” Both groups without fail look at me like wide-eyed raccoon staring at fast approaching headlights in the middle of a country road in the middle of the night - horn blaring.

These questions bring to light some startling realities. I think we would like to say that our goal is for our kids to be who the Lord wants them to be, but this is not how our kids are responding to the questions. Are they responding with this goal in mind?

 “When I grow up I have to go to the best school I can, pick the best major I can, so I can get the best job I can, so that I can make the most money I can, and have the best benefit package I can, so I can live as comfortably as I can, and take the nicest vacations I can, and retire as early as I can, in the warmest weather I can.”

 But before we let them declare fine art as their major, you might want to read “Silver Spoon DNA”.