When we look into the faces of the young women in our church, we see beautiful possibilities. We see longing eyes, bright smiles, hopeful anticipation and sometimes-deep insecurities. Will we, who have been in their place before, pass by them not recognizing who they are, what they mean to us or what they need? They are each one of them, a treasure. We have no way of knowing the unrevealed plans that God has for these girls, yet we are sure of them. We know that He has things in mind for them that we cannot imagine. Maybe they will accomplish more than we are to accomplish. Hopefully, they will go beyond all that we are. What is the reason for their creation? The possibilities are as great as God's ability to bring His purposes to pass. These girls are His gifts to us and to His church. What or who could be more valuable to us than they are? We were once them, and one day they will be us.

The challenges of a post Christian culture are difficult for these young women every single day, but they are amazingly resilient. Sometimes through tears they struggle to understand who they are and what their lives mean in this confusing culture. They may be tempted and torn between two worlds but most of them keep up the fight. Almost everything in their world seeks to tear them from us. They can't let down their guard. They live in a society that is openly hostile to what we are teaching them. Do we understand how hard it is for them? Do we know just what we are expecting of them?
The truth, that we need to face, is that they may not make it without us. The Titus 2 passage that we have been seeking to understand speaks directly about our responsibilities to these young women. We know from other passages, many in the Psalms, that our faith is to be passed from one generation to the next. This passage in Titus is more of that same idea applied specifically to women. This is the way that they are to learn, understand and embrace His design. At times we fear that some of these struggling young women will not make it in the face of such enormous pressures. The difficult question then for us is this: are they struggling too much because we are not fulfilling our mission? Can they know what we do not teach? Can they follow if we do not lead? At times, we seem to focus on the failings of our youth, but are their failings as much ours as theirs?

Can we look into these faces, so full of hope, and not be filled with compassion for them? How can we fail to take our responsibilities toward our young women seriously? They represent what is new and fresh today and what is and will be the women of the church for generations. We must move over and make room for them as we teach them the unchanging truths of Scripture. Will we love Him enough to love them enough? There are beautiful possibilities before us.