You Are Only Young Once

by Jefferson David Tant

Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it? I've never heard of anyone going through their youth twice.

So, what are the implications? What is the importance of this fact? The reality is that in our young years, we set the course for our lives. We start on the course we will follow for the rest of our lives.

In our youth, we form habits, and habits are hard to break. I have known too many people who took up smoking tobacco when they were young and, in the coming years, dealt with some health difficulties from this habit and really struggled to quit smoking. Thus, a habit formed when they were young produced problems when they were older. Young people also sometimes develop other bad habits that cause problems.

We are involved in many areas of life where early choices matter.

Obviously, we attend school when we are young. And what should we be doing from the beginning of each new semester? Who would disagree that studying our class textbooks from the start of the semester is wise? Diligence in studying will produce good grades on our report cards and, eventually, guarantee our graduation.

Students who go home from school and spend their time playing games and watching TV rather than doing their homework and studying their class textbooks will not do well on final exams.

There’s nothing wrong with having a good time and enjoying some good things around us, but diligence should also be given to learning class material, which will be of benefit in the future.

School textbooks are the Words of Education, but God’s textbook, the Bible, is the Word of Life. It should be obvious that no source of information is more important than the book God has given us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It not only guides us through our lives in this world, but also opens the gates to eternity—a life in heaven.

My memory tells me that there were times in school that the class teacher would say, “We’re having a surprise exam today.” And what if we hadn’t done our daily homework and studied our textbook? We would likely fail.

Consider the apostle Paul’s advice to a young man named Timothy: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). I also like the way the old King James version reads: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Note that “give diligence” and “study” carry the same meaning. And note also that Paul’s exhortation was given to a young man. And Solomon also has some good advice: “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, 'I have no delight in them'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

And remember that some die young, either from accident or disease. So, be ready! You are only young once! So make good use of your time.