By TARA CONNOLLY
Staff writer
“God crafted you and me to live in this time in history. It is a really difficult and challenging time. We all know the reasons. But we are here for a reason and God knows we can handle it,” said Scott Anthony, national speaker, presenting “The Master Craftsman: God’s Amazing Plan for Teens (and Their Parents).”
Anthony, also the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at St. Joseph, York, spoke to an estimated 60 teens and their parents Jan. 11 at St. Thomas More, Allentown, where he encouraged them to keep seeking God’s special plan for them.
“God doesn’t need you or me. He freely created us. I am not the ‘end all be all.’ We are expendable. That should blow your mind. God created you and me because he wanted us. God wanted you,” he said.
Anthony told the teens that everyone wants to be wanted and everyone wants to be seen, known and loved for who they truly are.
“God, at this moment, is constantly trying to get into our hearts. He calls us to seek him and to love him. We want God to know us, to see us and to love us. But we have to have a relationship with him,” he stressed.
Anthony then pointed out that the first paragraph of “The Catechism of the Catholic Church” calls people to family by maintaining that all people are children of God.
“In our families we see the very best and the very worst of each other,” he said.
Anthony also reminded the teens that their parents want them to be kind, happy, healthy, successful, and enter heaven.
“Do we really live our lives as if that’s what we want? Do we all want to go to heaven? We will not be judged on how we failed. We will be judged on how we cooperated with God’s graces,” he said.
“God does not send anyone to hell. People choose hell by the way they live their lives,” said Anthony.
To become the best version of themselves, he told the teens that it all starts with family.
“It’s in the family where we learn about the demands of love,” said Anthony.
Taking a quick poll, he asked for a show of hands as to whether teens or parents know more about being a teenagers and laughed when most teens raised their hands.
“Don’t think for a second that you know more about being a teen than your parents do. We have been there. But sometimes as adults we forget because we don’t want to go back there because some of the parts aren’t so great,” admitted Anthony.
“Parents have to ask God to help us remember. As a parent of faith, God has given us extra wisdom,” he said.
When raising up children of faith and helping them see God’s guiding hand, he told the groups that it requires communication, mutual respect, honesty and forgiveness.
“None of this can be done without God’s grace,” said Anthony.
“But all of this can be achieved when we cooperate with his grace.”
