Good for the Soul

We have to be very careful that the profession of our faith lines up with the performance of God's instructions. We damage our witness when we don't really act according to what we say we believe. In Titus chapter 1, Paul writes:
10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.

Later in the chapter, we can read:
15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

There is an inconsistency that is highlighted here: you had people who apparently called themselves believers in Christ, but by their words and actions, they did not demonstrate that they actually did. We have to be careful that our profession and our performance are consistent with each other. If we believe that God's way is best for us, if we say we believe in Christ and are pursuing His abundant life, then we should be very careful to allow that perspective to permeate what we say, think, and do. 

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Jesus saved some of His most direct and challenging words for the hypocrites. For example, in Luke 6, He states:
43 "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?

Faced with a mental health crisis that experts, including Christian professionals, have identified, one would perhaps think that there would be a devotion by parents to help struggling young people by helping to fortify their faith and introduce them to the One who promises us a sound mind, a renewed mind, a peaceful mind.

But, a Christian Post article notes:

While mental health concerns top the list of worries for parents today, and studies suggest religion is good for mental health, passing on their religious beliefs to their children is not highly prioritized by U.S. adults with children younger than 18, new data from the Pew Research Center show.

That paragraph noted a Springtide Research Institute study of youth and young adults between the ages of 13 and 25 that showed, according to a Christian Post report: "...during the pandemic years, most (53%) of the respondents reported that mental health was their biggest challenge. Only 34% of them reported being comfortable talking about their struggle with adults."  The article went on to say:

Some 57% said new spiritual practices helped them endure the pandemic and more than half (51%) said they turned to prayer. Others turned to activities like reading, yoga, the arts or being in nature.

The study found that while religion and spirituality "can be strong antidotes to much of what contributes to mental-health struggles among young people" and that "people who are religious are better off mentally and emotionally," only 35% of the respondents said they are connected to a religious community.

A further disconnect is revealed by the latest Pew survey; the Christian Post states:

Across racial and ethnic lines, overwhelming majorities of U.S. adults with children younger than 18 believe being a parent is either one of or the most important aspect of who they are as a person. But when it comes to prioritizing the passing on of their faith to their children, white Evangelicals and black Protestants are the only two Christian groups where a majority of parents prioritize this.

Rachel Minkin and Juliana Horowitz are quoted, from the Parenting in America Today report: “Parents place less importance on their children growing up to have religious or political beliefs that are similar to their own. About a third (35%) say it is extremely or very important to them that their children share their religious beliefs, and 16% say the same about their children’s political beliefs..."

The survey, which polled American parents with children under 18, found that, according to the article, "Some 70% of white Evangelical parents and 53% of black Protestants said it is important that their children share their religious beliefs. Among white non-Evangelical Protestants that figure is only 29%, while only 35% of Catholic parents say this."

There are two pieces of data that both rate at just over a-third of respondents: 35% of young people in one survey are connected to a religious community, even though they believe faith helps in the area of mental health; plus, 35% of parents of children under 18 say it's either extremely or very important to them that their children adopt their religious beliefs, even though they believe that parenting is a major responsibility.

Can you say "cognitive dissonance?"  These groups seem to collectively reject what is best for them. 

We have to be very careful as believers in Christ - we can easily say one thing and do the other. This could be considered outright hypocrisy, or ignorance, or spiritual amnesia.  Whatever the case, we have to make sure that we are acting in a manner that is consistent with who we say we are - whom God has made us to be.

These surveys show that teens and young adults believe faith can help in the arena of mental health, but they're not participating in what could really help them; parents hold a high view of their parenting responsibility, but many are not passing their faith along. It's a matter of surrender: we may know what's best, but are not willing to take the steps to get there.  We may acknowledge our need for a Savior, our need for Christ, yet we persist in taking matters into our own hands. And, parents may know what's best for their kids spiritually, yet are not deliberate in passing it on.  We have to develop a sense of concern not only for our own walk with the Lord, but be willing to relate His love and truth to those around us.