Youth unrest gives parents no rest

Lunminthang Haokip *

THE MOTIVATION : The youth, by and large, are helplessly influenced by 3 Ms – Music, Movies and the Media. They respond instantly to music. Where events are set up with an overdose of musical voices and noises, teenagers attend in hordes with the attitude of a hypochondriac at a medical convention.

Juvenile same-age group bonding also go bonkers over movies. They pattern their lifestyles on the pop sounds and sights they see on celluloid. Youth unrest and parental worry can only be arrested and reconciled by giving doses of the Word of truth to then.

OWN WAY IS WRONG WAY : And the advent of computer and cell-phone actuate what youngsters have been craving for in their sub-conscious yearning to get cracking in the way they know best. But in the bargain to have their own way, the youth got carried away from the Truth. They care two hoots for it though.

This reckless bent of mind, that puts gen-next in a bind, motivated this author to arrange a Retreat to Give Youth the Truth at L Thinglhangphai village, Chandel district, Manipur. If we are in God’s will, we can reap the fruit of God’s promise in Isaiah 44:3, “And I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine seeds.”

THE THEME FOR YOUTH : “Buy the truth, and sell it not” was the theme. The verse is taken from the Proverbs of King Solomon as recorded in Chapter 23, verse 23. Buying and selling take place everywhere.

Namphalong Burmese market complex, situated on the fringe of Indo-Myanmar border that lies adjacent to Moreh border town’s gate no. 2, is the favourite haggling hub for all domestic tourists. From 7 am to 4 pm IST, people shop till items drop from their grip. Dining and shopping are the fave pastimes of Singaporeans. Selling and buying the truth pays richer dividends.

DESIRE FOR TRUTH : Lack of means of communication is not much of a problem in Bangkok. When a buyer asks for something the vendor does not have, pat would the answer come from the BKK lady-vendor, “No have” with prolonged Thai twang.

At Tamu in Myanmar, Burmese words like Masibu means No have and Mayabu is taken by the foreign sojourner as No agree. But in this planet of give and take, all buyers will agree that what we buy puts us on a high for a few moments. Yeh dil maange much more. “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6)”. The inner quest to own something of lasting value is is quelled only when the Truth is gained.

The MMC Youth Retreat was conceived to be an event to sell eternal Truth wholesale.

HEART-MOVING TESTIMONIES : Drug-addiction survivor, Brother Atong of LEF, CCpur, moved hearts when he, as the opening testimonial bowler in the 3-day spiritual Test-Cricket series narrated his sad tale.

Driven against the wall by the dreaded AIDS, and regarded a social pariah, Atong repented to dust and ashes. The Lord of mercy, not only removed the HIV that cost the lives of his dear ones, but also restored to him the years eaten away by the cankerworm and the palmerworm.

FISHERS OF MEN : Equally challenging was the testimony of Brother Megha, a former clarinet player in a social band, who got caught by the Gospel dragnet to later become a committed fisher of men in his own circles. Brother Brojesh of LEF, Moreh inspired the congregation with his life-changing story.

Faith-strengthening witnesses for the Lord were also given by Brother Thomas, Sister Omega, Hatneikim, Eunice, Nenem, Vahneilam and Kyin Kyin May. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony (revelation 12:11)”. Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matt. 4:19).” A fisher makes something alive dead. A fisher of men makes something ‘dead’ alive.

THE TRUTH TRAMPLED UPON : John Keats said, “Truth is beauty”. In spiritual diagnosis of a sinner, truth is ugly. Celebs buy up the media to hide bitter truths about their shady lifestyles. The just suffer and the unjust prosper.

Details of revealing truth are swept away to hide below the carpet because they are at odds with one’s upward mobility. Isaiah 59:14 says, “And judgement is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter”. It is more so in that part of the world where the elder brother of a retired (from-service) younger brother still holds office.

TAPPING POTENTIAL SKILL AND ABILITY : In a region where things you place order for never get delivered on the fixed date, where there is incorrigible disparity in access to jobs and courses that qualify for placement, where a man is judged by his salary (and not by the potential of his skill and ability) and a woman by her beauty and the value of the household items she can take to her in-laws as a bride (and not by the spiritual gems she can spill over post-marriage) and where the rule of Law, at times, has to submit to the misrule of the out-law, fairness is as rare as rain in the desert.

THE TRUTH DELIVERED : Men of women-born, in fallible human form, throughout the centuries, claimed in vain to offer the truth to susceptible seekers of the truth in their respective generations. But they were awful failures. At best, they could give relative truths, half-truths or true lies. “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17)”. Jesus and his teachings were the antithesis of falsity.

The messages delivered in the first MMC Youth Retreat revolved around “bringing fruits meet for repentance (Matthew 3:8)”, retardation of spiritual growth in hiding sin (Proverbs 28:13), confession of sin to salvation (Romans 10:10) and cleansing of one’s conscience through restitution.

THE PARADIGM SHIFT : The group discussions led by Brother LK Chance, Dr Kim Haokip, Sister Shanti, Brother Ninghor, Brother Thangboi, Champion and Miss Rose made the process of receiving forgiveness and conversion easy.

In these days of paradigm shifts and end-time signs, a sense of urgency, coupled with a passion to win souls, drove the preachers and counsellors of the autumnal LT Phai Youth Camp to spare no effort in employing all proven methods of evangelism to create penitence in the ardent seeker. Considering his devotion, Brother LK Chance deserved to be termed “man of the match”.

THE SPIRITUAL FIELDING : Campers, some of who were rebels without a pause, revelled and got revived in the abundance of the Word of God. A habitual praying man, Brother Prakash, burdened by the initial lack of spiritual unction in the entreating Retreat, struggled on his knees to get a promise from God.

The promise he received from Psalm 107:20, “He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” brought about hope and joy to all concerned. The promise made “fielding” in the camp a pleasure.

THE LOGISTICAL SETBACKS : LT Phai is a scenic but poorly-equipped foothill village. Housing 200 campers for 4 nights and 3 days and providing food and pure water was a quite an awesome task. But “The God who seest us (Genesis 16:13)” saw to it that there was no shortage of anything where people gathered in His name. Supplication went up. Blessings came down.

The only setback was the fact that some of the participants could not shake off the spirit of levity they got used to elsewhere. “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth (Genesis 8:21)”.

GOD WANTS A BROKEN HEART : It was tough to drive in the message home that one should not angle for an out-of-turn slot to grab the pulpit-mike in a misplaced zeal to present a solo Gospel item before getting one’s salvation issue settled. God wants a broken heart and a contrite spirit first (Psalm 51:17)”.

A spiritual account ought to be opened before any deposit takes place. God’s work needs to be done in God’s way. You can’t kill the bull with the butt facing it, can you?

FRUITS MEET FOR REPENTANCE : All the arduous toil and sweat invested in the run-up to the MMC Youth Retreat was nothing when the good news of a few souls confessing the anguishes of the heart in repentance was reported.Most of the young boys and girls bought the Truth of the Word of God from the Retreat with their tears of brokenness. Bad buys will enslave them in bondage. Only “The Truth will set them free (John 8:32)”.

My appeal to all campers is that they should “hide the Word of God in their hearts so that they may not sin against their Creator (Psalm 119:11)”. An apple a day keeps you away from sickness. A proverb chapter a day will keep you sinless.

Amen.