To all young people, whether you are my children, my grandchildren or someone I’ve never met – I write this as a grandfather who wants to encourage you. I see the struggles many of you face today, and I want to offer not criticism, but perspective, hope and a reminder of what truly matters.
One of the great causes of unhappiness in life is when expectations don’t match reality. And for your generation, that gap is particularly wide. Many of you were raised with the expectation that you’d live as well as, or better than, your parents or grandparents.
But the road has been harder than you expected. Wages haven’t kept up, housing is more expensive, and the dream of financial independence feels more elusive than it did for previous generations. That disillusionment is real, and it can weigh heavily on the heart.
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Don’t let the past rob you of the joy you can find in the present.
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But I want to encourage you: Don’t let the past rob you of the joy you can find in the present. Yes, the path may be different, and perhaps longer. But happiness has never been measured in dollars or square footage. There’s a deeper kind of wealth that comes from purpose, relationships and living a good life.
Let me share something from my own life. When I was in eighth grade, I had a checking account. I would walk into our local Woolworth’s or Ben Franklin store, pick up what I needed, and ask for the blank check pad from the Farmers and Merchants Bank. I would fill in the amount, sign my name, and hand it over, no ID, no account number. I was a stranger to the clerk, but she trusted that if I said I had an account and wrote a check, it was good.
That kind of trust is hard to imagine today. But trust like that makes life smoother and more productive. When we trust one another, we don’t waste time defending ourselves or double-checking everyone else. More gets done, and we spend less time watching our backs and more time building together. But trust only thrives when people live with integrity and respect, for themselves and for others.
As I’ve written before, when I was in third grade, I had a paper route. I’d rise at midnight on Sundays, bike 5 miles into town to get my newspapers, then spend the next few hours inserting, rolling and delivering them, all before sunrise. I was no more than 8 years old, out on dark streets, and no one feared for my safety. That wasn’t carelessness; it was a reflection of the trust that held communities together. We looked out for one another, and that made all the difference.
Another part of that foundation was the moral expectation that people went to church. In those days, if a family didn’t attend, it was noticed. That wasn’t about appearances, it was about values. In church, we were taught kindness, humility, forgiveness and love. We were reminded every week that others mattered just as much as we did. Alexis de Tocqueville famously said that when he looked for the secret to America’s greatness, he found it in her churches.
Today, we’re losing that sense of shared moral grounding. Violence is rising. Shootings happen in places that were once sacred. People speak of their rights, but too often forget the rights of others. We’re forgetting how to love one another. And when love leaves, trust leaves with it.
So I return to my message: Do not expect life to be just like it was for earlier generations. The ground has shifted. But don’t let that defeat you. Instead, work to rebuild what’s been lost. Be a force for kindness, for integrity and for trust. Help America rediscover the strength that once came from shared moral values.
Christ’s message, delivered 2,000 years ago to a cruel and divided world, brought hope to millions. It still can. His call to love one another is not just a religious message, it’s a blueprint for healing. When people love their neighbors, they don’t shoot them. When people love their neighbors, they don’t cheat or exploit them. They build. They lift. They trust.
Live that way. Promote it. Pray for it. Be a quiet but steady example. And remember, the richest life is the one lived with love at its core.
Quotes From the Bible
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. – Romans 12:2
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