25:56
David Setran | Wisdom for Emerging Adults (4/13/2016)
wheatoncollege
Overview
This video challenges the traditional, linear definition of adulthood, presenting it instead as a complex, open-ended journey of choices and experiences. It argues that the most crucial aspect of navigating this new landscape is not what we know or do, but what we learn to love. The speaker emphasizes that our deepest affections, shaped by daily practices and cultural influences, ultimately determine our life's direction. The video encourages intentional cultivation of love for Christ, warning against the deceptive nature of sin and the myth of a future "settled" life, urging listeners to live out their faith actively in the present.
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Chapters
- Adulthood is no longer easily defined by a clear, linear script like marriage, career, and children.
- Modern adulthood is characterized by a vast array of possibilities and a lack of prescribed direction.
- The 'Game of Life' board game illustrates this shift from a scripted path to a multi-looped experience with diverse life points.
- This open-endedness raises the question of what will guide our choices in a world of endless options.
Understanding how the definition of adulthood has changed helps emerging adults recognize the unique challenges and opportunities they face in making life-defining decisions.
Comparing the 1960s 'Game of Life' (linear, scripted) with the 2007 'Life Twists and Turns' (loops, multiple paths, life points) to illustrate the evolution of societal views on adult life.
- The most critical question for emerging adults is not just what they learn to know or do, but what they are learning to love.
- Our deepest desires, treasures, and 'happily ever afters' orient our lives and predict our long-term faithfulness.
- While intellectual knowledge of a worldview is important, it doesn't automatically translate into a way of life if our affections are captured elsewhere.
- Our 'souls are like two empty arms looking for something to embrace,' seeking objects of love and worship.
Identifying and intentionally shaping what we love is paramount because our affections are the primary drivers of our actions and long-term commitments.
The speaker suggests that even if one learns an accurate Christian worldview, their heart's affections might be drawn to other things, preventing that worldview from becoming a lived reality.
- The idea of a future 'settled' life, where one will finally begin living out their dreams, is a myth.
- Life is in continual flux, and waiting for a mythical 'someday' allows present loves and habits to be formed in ways that may diverge from our ideals.
- Our early adult years are not a 'Chutes and Ladders' game where we can erase past choices; subtle, cumulative effects shape our future paths.
- Habitual engagement with certain passions, especially sinful ones, weakens the will and mind, making future change more difficult.
Recognizing that 'settled' adulthood is a myth combats procrastination and highlights the critical importance of shaping our loves and character in the present, not deferring it.
The speaker uses the analogy of an Etch A Sketch: initial drawings leave subtle grooves that increasingly dictate future drawings, just as present habits and loves shape future desires and actions.
- Life operates on a 'harvest mentality' where we reap what we sow, both to the sinful nature and to the spirit.
- The negative consequences of sowing to the sinful nature may not be immediately apparent, leading to deception about their impact.
- Engaging in sinful passions doesn't 'work them out' but rather integrates them into our system, weakening our will and hardening our hearts.
- Neural pathways are physically altered by habitual choices, making repetition more likely and leading to a form of enslavement.
This agricultural metaphor underscores the gradual but powerful consequences of our daily choices, emphasizing that our present actions are actively shaping our future selves and spiritual state.
Galatians 6 is referenced, explaining that sowing to the sinful nature leads to destruction, while sowing to the spirit leads to eternal life, with the harvest occurring 'in due time.'
- Culture constantly bombards us with competing dreams and desires through media, advertising, and daily practices, shaping our affections.
- These influences often sell stories of the 'good life' that are calls to worship, subtly redirecting our hearts.
- Reshaping our loves requires countercultural practices that draw our affections back to Christ, replacing false loves with a greater love.
- Worship, immersion in God's word, prayer, and communal practices are essential for recalibrating the heart and fostering love for Jesus.
In a world saturated with competing desires, intentional Christian practices are necessary to protect and reorient our affections towards Christ, preventing us from being swayed by cultural narratives.
Watching commercials for products like Axe body spray or Apple, which sell romantic dreams or idealized family moments, illustrates how culture shapes our desires by offering alluring stories of the good life.
- Christian discipleship in adulthood is a call to be a 'living sacrifice,' involving giving up rights to ourselves and embracing costs.
- These costs can include reputation, relationships, comfort, career aspirations, and personal gratifications.
- The willingness to pay these costs is directly proportional to the perceived value of the reward – the beauty of Christ.
- True discipleship is characterized by a love for Christ so profound that the cost of following Him seems small by comparison.
Understanding the cost of discipleship, framed by the immense value of Christ, provides a framework for making sacrificial decisions that align with our ultimate love and calling.
The parable of the merchant who sold everything to buy the pearl, and the man who sold all he had to buy the field, illustrates the willingness to give up everything for something of incomparable value.
Key takeaways
- Adulthood is a dynamic, non-linear journey of continuous choice, not a destination with a fixed script.
- What you learn to love is the most significant factor in determining your life's direction and faithfulness.
- The idea of a future 'settled' life is a myth; your character and loves are being formed daily in the present.
- Habitual actions, especially those contrary to spiritual growth, create lasting patterns that can lead to enslavement.
- Cultural influences constantly compete for our affections, requiring intentional counter-practices to reorient our loves towards Christ.
- True discipleship involves a willingness to pay the cost of following Christ because your love for Him is greater than any earthly treasure.
- Community and mentorship within the church are vital for learning to love well and for navigating the complexities of adult life.
Key terms
Emerging AdulthoodWorldviewLove (as a core orientation)AffectionHabitual PracticesSowing and ReapingLiving SacrificeCost of DiscipleshipCountercultural PracticesWorship
Test your understanding
- How has the definition of adulthood evolved, and what are the implications of this shift for emerging adults?
- Why is 'what you learn to love' considered more critical than 'what you learn to know' or 'do' in navigating adulthood?
- Explain the 'myth of settled adulthood' and how the 'Etch A Sketch' analogy illustrates the formation of character and desires.
- What does the 'harvest mentality' teach us about the long-term consequences of our daily choices and engagement with sin?
- How can individuals actively cultivate a love for Christ in the face of competing cultural influences and desires?