What God can do through a faithful Filipino child

There are little things that our youth can do for the country which, in many ways, can be either overlooked or simply taken for granted. We often speak about good governance and it must never be forgotten that the youth are part of it and, whether we like it or not, engaging our young people and guiding them towards responsible citizenship begins at home.

- PIA ROCES MORATO

The Bible calls our youth to godliness, in fact, Psalm 127:3 says: “Behold, children are the heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” Likewise, 1Timothy 4:12 says: “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

We are all called to be part of the solution to the problems we are facing in our country today and that goes for the youth of our nation as well. God has a purpose for us all, including the roles we are called to participate in, big or small.

While fixing my book shelf, I came across a small pamphlet entitled “12 Little Things Our Youth Can Do To Help Our Country.” This little guide book explains a 12-step journey and simple as these may be, they are all fundamental principles that guide the young people of today so that they may grow up to be honorable citizens of this nation.

The first little thing speaks of Being on Time. Let's face it, we Filipinos are known for being late so much so that it has already become an acceptable practice as we tend to be rather lax about this trait in our own country. Have you ever been late for an appointment or meeting abroad? It is a different story and, at least for me, Ihave seen foreigners frown at tardiness by Filipinos and it hurts me to see it as clearly, this is a sign of our lack of discipline. Perhaps, and as this little guide book says, we could transform the meaning of “Filipino time” into amore positive thing by setting the right standards and honoring our commitments as our word is our bond.