From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: So many young people don’t want to work these days. Others are unchallenged and disconnected (though not from the internet). Are they bored or just lazy? – B.I.

A: Many people flounder in a time of crisis and find that their efforts lead them not up but further down into the pit. We’re a nation of empty people. Our heads are crammed full of knowledge, but within our souls is a spiritual vacuum.

Parents say that they don’t understand why their children don’t want to work but just want everything handed to them. Parents don’t seem to realize that their well-educated children are actually empty inside. They aren’t filled with the spirit that makes work a joy. They aren’t filled with the determination that makes pushing ahead a pleasure. And why are they so empty? Because they don’t know why they’re here, or where they’re going! Today our young people are asking for direction and perspective. They are looking for models to follow, for patterns of purpose.

Man is the only one of God’s creatures who is capable of being bored. Since He gave man the capacity for boredom, He did it for a purpose. Boredom is one of the sure ways to measure man’s inner emptiness! It reveals just how hollow the inner spirit really is. The person who is thoroughly bored is living and working in a vacuum. It is one of the unfailing rules of this universe that all vacuums must be filled, and filled immediately.

God intended for life to be filled with purpose and we can pray that God will turn our eyes from worthless things and fix our eyes upon Jesus (see Hebrews 12). Christ can fill the vacuums. He will restore personal identity if we fix our eyes upon Him.

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

Find purpose in a relationship with Christ. Pray now.