Anyone who has been around me a little while, knows legacy and young people are on my thought process a lot going forward. Our church fellowship is blessed with a lot of young people.

Josiah was 8 years old when he became King in Jerusalem, but Paul calls us Sons of God, kings and priests, in our acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior. David defeated Goliath. Christ is our victory.

I so appreciate the passion of youth, the “no holds barred” approach to life in so many I see, but I have also noticed a trend in my years of ministry. That of “I can do it myself.” And first and foremost, let me say I may well have contributed to it. But, I think I have made the shift. Your destiny is not and will not be apart from the body of Christ and the legacy of goodness He desires to see sown in the earth.

Young people, do not despise wisdom or fail to seek it out. Not everything has an answer. Not everything has one manner or method. Not everything works like it seems. I do not believe as George Bernard Shaw said, “that youth is wasted on the young.” I do believe that can become a reality when wisdom is not sought.

Over the last few years I feel like I have moved to a role of “coaching” on some level. I am not going to jump in the “pool” with you and swim the distance, but I am going to run along the edge of the pool and encourage you, give you thought process, let you run with it (Okay, swim with it.) and celebrate your victories. (I work overtime to not get involved just because I can or I have the answer.)

Never be afraid to ask for help. So often in this roll up our sleeves, do it yourself environment, we feel a sense of pride in “our accomplishment.” But what happens when the pipe springs a leak or the relationship goes sour? What then? More effort does not always translate to more success.  I often watch golfers (I do not golf more many reasons.) and I see what makes success. There are so many things that can put us ahead; consistency, practice and timing, but sometimes all it takes is a slight shift in a foot to throw off the whole game. A coach or a pro will spot that. And has the ability to help you correct it.

The hardest part for talented or gifted people to accept is that others can help them be better. (Oh yes, a gift or a talent does not always mean that is what God is doing. I am pretty sure David was enjoying the fields with the sheep, playing his music, singing his songs before Samuel poured out the horn of “responsibility” upon his head.)

While initiative and self-reliance are admirable traits, sooner or later we encounter a project that dwarfs our amateur abilities. In these moments, the wise course of action would be to ask for help. Yet in our stubborn independence, we refuse to admit our need for aid, choosing to press on alone.

As industrialist Andrew Carnegie observed, “It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you could do alone.” One is too small of a number to achieve greatness. (Three Dog Night sang that “one is the loneliest number…) Young people and leaders have to face up to their inability to “go-it-alone” and enlist others in pursuit of the vision.

We do not like to ask for help because we fear they may think we are too young, too incompetent or weak. Let me help you with this, if one was not so self-focused, they would see that others WANT to help. They want to be needed. Living solely for oneself is a shallow existence, yet that’s how many people operate on a day-to-day basis.

Do not be a flash in the pan, but enlist the help of others to build your life with you. Seek wisdom from those who have been “there” and be not afraid of the answers. I know that you may have received wrong advice or had a bad experience through friends or family, but there are godly men and women who have desire to help you. Seek them out.