As we watch the babies, toddlers, and elementary school children around us we have the unique opportunity of influencing and speaking into a brand-new generation. It is a privilege to be the adults responsible to educate, guide, love, enjoy, and lead this generation as they take their significant place in history.
Generation Alpha is growing up before our eyes. Born between 2010 to 2025 these kids will become the largest generation yet. Nearly 3 million Gen Alpha babies are born each week on our planet! Of our 8+ billion people on this earth, Gen Alpha will soon make up over 2 billion of the population. One in every four people will be in Gen Alpha. They are forecasted to live longer than other generations, and possibly over 65% of them will work in jobs that don’t exist today. They will be the most dive-rse and tech savvy generation we have seen.
No wonder educators and marketing strategists of all kinds are taking note of this fast-growing group of children. These are the children in the back seats of our vans, in front of us at sporting events, on the swings at our playgrounds, listening in our classrooms — and never far from an electronic device.
We, as the adults in their lives, have the wonderful opportunity of looking into their eyes, of listening to them, of helping shape the way they see the world. We have the opportunity to teach and model values to them that will help hold them in this fast paced, ever-changing landscape they are growing up in.
The years fly by quickly. The opportunity to be intentional, prayerful, observant, wise, and patient as we engage with these kids, is a privilege that we can too easily overlook as we wrestle with the changes and stresses in our own lives. Our own values may need to be polished up so that we can live and love more intentionally as the days speed by.
Pause and ponder your values for a moment. Look inside your heart and at your daily schedules, you will see what is playing out as the most important values in your own life. Pick one or two — honesty, integrity, compassion, family connection, loyalty, faith — that you want this generation to grab onto. Model it for them. Be intentional. Be consistent. It matters.
I am reminded of a values verse in the Bible: “Trust in the Lord and do good. Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3, NASB)
Let’s be intentional as the adults in the room. The opportunities are huge. The challenges are, too. Yet, as we consciously point toward the values of our faith — of caring for one another and doing good — we can help foster compassion that makes our homes and communities better places. We are in a unique position — today! — to influence for good.
It’s easy to sidebar the kids with screens as we hurry through our tasks. Yet the door is wide open to grow values in this Alpha Generation — values that will not only enhance their lives but make this world a more caring place to live.
LORD God, We need Your help in focusing on the values You call us to. The values of love, kindness, caring, and offering hope. Help us tobe intentional in taking the opportunities to model good as we go through each day. Thank you for Your guidance as we enjoy this privilege of helping to shape the values of the next generation. In Jesus’ name, amen.
You can access this entire magazine for free here: Edition 43
