I love the Lord deeply and in all I do, there is a strong consciousness within me that says I am Christ’s and I have to live up to my status.  But there is a conflict in my mind. I want to be youthful, enjoy the bliss of being a youth, scream with crazy friends, dance away my worries in a club with the loud music joining the speedy rhythm of my heart. Yet, I cannot…why? The consciousness within will not allow me. There is a new lifestyle I am getting to embrace. It is peaceful, insightful, somewhat adventurous and I can tell you I am loving it.

My name is Priscilla Coker alias Media Girl That Loves Jesus and you are welcome to Youth Today. This is our very first encounter and I am glad to meet you. I can strongly sense it is going to be an interesting journey all the way. So the gist on this column would basically be guiding tips and godly counsels for young people. Trust me, I know as young people, there are so many challenges we are confronted with and the old folks just do not understand. They seem to forget that society is changing and that they are analogue and we are digital…they just do not get it! Therefore, on this platform, we will talk about our challenges as young people living in the 21st century and how we can solve them like the Christians that we are.

Today, our topic for discussion would be how young Christians should socialise. What does it mean to socialise? Well, according to my dictionary, that is Priscilla’s Dictionary, it simply means ‘talking, smiling, gisting with just about anybody at any given time in a very friendly manner’. Why do we need to socialise? Spontaneously, I will say, we need to socialise because no man is an island. But purposefully, I will say we need to socialise because there is something we have that we have been instructed to share.

I hear somebody say, I am an introvert, and talking to people does not come to me naturally. I hear somebody else say, I am an extrovert but I do not understand what I have that was instructed to be shared. At this point, I would like to remind you, in case you forgot, that WE ARE CHRISTIANS- Carriers of Christ and Kingdom Ambassadors.  It is important to note that whenever we see ourselves in the lenses of temperaments, we often miss out on the big picture.

Was Jesus Christ an introvert or extrovert? I will say he displayed the features of both but was not limited to any. He was quiet when he had to and outspoken when he had to. Jesus did all he did as he was led by God, his Father. From this statement, we can denote that he understood his life was purposeful, so every interaction he had was a deliberate attempt to share the good news of the Kingdom of God.

So you may ask, who am I allowed to purposefully socialise with? You can socialise purposefully with just about anybody at anytime and anywhere. One story that readily comes to my mind now is the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Jesus met her at the well and a conversation ensued.  I can imagine the look on the faces of the disciples when they saw him talking to her!  But because they knew how he comported himself; given that he did not just do things if it did not make eternal sense, none of them dared asked why he was talking to her.

So how do we not get distracted when socialising?

Romans 12: 2 says: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind… Therefore, our transformation and sustainability lays solely on the help of the Holy Spirit and our deliberate effort to renew our minds daily by God’s word.

Just remember what Jesus said in John 17: 16,”They (You) are not of the world just as I am not of the world.”

Till next time, keep socialising.

Priscilla Coker, popularly known as Media Girl That Loves Jesus is a freelance broadcast journalist. She is also, the founder of The Visionaires’Hub an online/onsite platform that promotes entrepreneurship, encourages mentorship through capacity development programs for secondary school students and internship opportunities for undergraduates. Priscilla loves singing and traveling. She blogs at priscillacokertalks.blogspot.com.ng