Ethnically diverse. Entitled. Planet Friendly, people friendly. Self-absorbed. Sissy, unconventional, unpredictable, immature. I’ve seen all those words used to describe the Millennial generation. I’ve gotten a bit wary, growing up, in claiming my generation. But last week I heard something that changed my entire perspective. And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
A millennial has been a lot of things this last year: a new minority group, the rising generation, a voting anomaly and a different type of businessman. Some people love them, some people denounce them, pretty much everyone has an opinion about them. But the fact first remains it is–was–just a label.
A millennial is still an individual: good or bad, lazy or hardworking, innovative or entitled. That’s a personal choice. But regardless, we all have the potential to be something bigger, something better than those individual descriptors. 
Every person comes to this earth with their own personal mission, something they find for themselves as they live their lives. But I believe too that we as a generation can have a work to do. Every day we hear of wars and rumors of wars, of unrest and disasters and chaos in this topsy turvy world. And with every day that passes I am more sure than ever that Christ will come again. I don’t know when–five years, fifty or five-hundred… but the truth remains that the millennials have a work to do.
A work to help bring Christ back into the center of our lives.
A work to prepare for His coming.
A work to usher in the millennium.
I don’t mean going out there and condemning the world for being unbaptized. I don’t think that would really be Christian at all. I would rather serve my fellow man first before pressing anything upon him. I’m not press-ganging anybody into my religion, I want to give a little light where I can. The world won’t change overnight, but I can work to create a Christlike people, living in a spirit of service and a spirit of love. A Spirit that the Lord can work through.
I admit that I am at times discouraged, looking at the chaos and decay in the world. That at times I wonder if there’s anything I can really do that makes a difference. But then I remember Matthew 18:7, and realize again that it’s not just a matter of what I can do. It’s a duty that I have, that I took upon myself. And it’s a wonderful responsibility to bear. I decided to follow Him before I came to this earth, and I’m not quitting now that I’m here.
I did not come to this earth to fail. And I’m not quitting before I make it Home.
The best part is, I have an Advocate for me in heaven to help me when I fall short. Someone who is rooting for me–who in every situation will take my side, if I will only continue striving to follow Him. Christ is my Advocate to the Father and is always on my side–which means if I want to really be on His, I need to be on my side, too. I need to root for myself.
What does all of this have to do with being a millennial? Well, we’re in a unique position because like it or not, someday we’ll be the leaders of our world. The doers and shakers, the teachers and precedent makers. Someday the millennials will have a lot to live up to. And whether that comes with an entitled mentality, an expanded worldview, a special drive or a defeatest spirit, I know one thing it must contain, within its very name: a love for God. And that’s something I want very much.
So now I want to be a millennial. I want that mantle. I want my generation, my peers, and my world. I want to wear this label–one of many–with a quiet strength, proclaiming who I am and what I’ll stand for. I want to be one who truly loves Him who loved me first.
I want to be a disciple of Christ. I want to love others, serve them, and proclaim His good news. And I don’t want my “someday” to be in the future anymore. I want it to be today.
What does a millennial mean to you?
Cozy Light 