foncusion

“You need to look out for you.  You are your number one concern.  Look out for yourself, and what you need, and you will succeed.  If you find anyone in your crew who is looking out for themselves, kick ’em out, because they’re not going to help you.” – paraphrased quote from today’s rally

Whoa.  I was confused.  Seriously.  Here are gathered a couple hundred people under the theme of “Pump up the Pride – Uniform Rally”.  It’s true, they talked about uniforms, and how it’s a positive change.  People clapped.  They gave away some free pop.  It was delicious.  But honestly, many were there simply to pick up their school schedules.  The main speaker was a judge from the County Courthouse, who spoke largely in quotes and idioms.

But I understand the heart and desire.  There are large numbers of our high schoolers who serve social/worldly pressures.  We say “give into peer pressure”, but the pressure doesn’t usually come from a peer anymore, it’s bigger than that.  As evidenced by today’s rally:

Beneath the uniforms, call to responsible living, and promise that you can end up being an author, professional dancer, or professional musician if you simply work hard enough…there was a quiet undertone.  The undertone that says, “We’re not sure if you’ll like us if we ask you to grow up, so we’ll try to make it sound/look attractive.”

There were words against drugs.  Against having sex.  Against drinking, and committing crimes.  All sponsored by our local radio “rap” station that plays songs depicting drugs, sex, drinking, and criminal mindsets.  There was a short “catwalk” of high school models wearing acceptable uniforms for the year ahead, and after their walk they were asked to do dances (“Dougie“, and “Cat Daddy” to be specific…warning: those links contain offensive language) to compete for a free backpack.  I felt awkward for them, and sad for our community that this is our display of how we take pride in young men and women growing up.

All that to say, how do we expect the next generation to grow into becoming men and women who respect themselves and know how to make wise decisions/difficult choices even if they’re not accepted well by others…if we don’t know how to model that?

May we begin with prayer…from repentance, to restoration, to renewal…