The first commandment

The modern day life of a teenager can be very hectic. The teenage years have come to be a time of pressure filled decisions. Decisions like what classes you want to take, what college to choose, and what you want to do with the rest of your life. These stressful decisions are accompanied by the average grind and work acquired from a school day, not to mention many students involvement with after school activities and sports, or jobs.  And each individual has their own personal problems, whether it be drama with friends, family issues, bullying, or any other personal issue. These stresses can sometimes be overbearing, and often so overwhelming that teens forget about their obligations to God. The first commandment is very easily overlooked in the busy world of a teen. However, this is very unfortunate because there is probably no more of an appropriate time to strengthen your relationship with God. What better a time to express the theological virtues and put our faith, hope, and love in the guiding hands of God than during a time when we become so overwhelmed?

One of the reasons that the first commandment is so important to teenagers is because it can prepare them for the future. Materialism is becoming a serious problem in today's world. People are more concerned with the material things in life than ever. If teens are raised in a materialistic world surely too will begin to place higher and higher importance on things such as cars, t.vs, clothes, computers, phones, and of course money. These things have begun to reach such an importance that they are in danger of becoming an idolatry.People are putting all their faith in these items. They believe that they need to have a certain amount of money in order to be happy. All there time is spent worrying about money, and thinking about how they can get more. This level of faith should only be put into God, and the power that people think money has are powers only God holds.This is why the first commandment is important for teens, in today's society commitment to the first commandment is necessary to not falling into false idolatry.

the teenage years are very confusing. in addition to the everyday pressures involved in a teens life they are also at a point in their lives where they are developing into adults. it is a significant time when they are beginning to envision what they are going to be doing with the rest of their lives. Teens often take into consideration careers with traveling, careers with good pay, or careers with fame. However, they rarely take into consideration a career in God. Some teens may begin to feel this calling into a closer relationship with God. This calling is sometimes referred to as evangelical counsels. It is a call to go beyond the minimum rules of life required by God  and strive for spiritual perfection through a life marked by a commitment to chastity, poverty, and obedience.this is a very righteous calling, unfortunately many teens overlook this calling as a possibility in their life. This can also be a result of not actively applying the first commandment to their lives.

Knowing what the first commandment is isn't always good enough. teens should strive to understand the commandment and how it is meant to be interpreted. failure in its true understanding can lead to practices such as superstition. people that practice superstition may often consider themselves to believe in God, and therefore they think they understand and are following the first commandment. They do not always believe that the superstitions have power themselves, but they often believe that their superstitions influence God. They do not realize that these practices are offensive to God and in no way influence him. This is another reason why understanding the first commitment is very important in the life of a teen.

Atheism is a growing problem among teens today. Atheism is the complete denial of God's existence and is therefore the ultimate violation of the First commandment. Many teens fall into Atheism because they feel that they have been betrayed by God. Teens often feel this way because they are so overwhelmed and they wonder why God has given them a burden that they can't handle. This is a misinterpretation of God's will, God will never give us anything that we can't handle but that requires us to make an equal commitment to God. We cannot expect his graces to come to us without us acknowledging the source of those graces. This is why the first commandment is truly important to teenage life, misinterpretation can lead to atheism and a complete separation from God if the first commandment is not understood.