What if there was a “cheat code” for life? Wouldn’t that be great? Good news- there may be one, but more on that later.

As we drove down the road, it was a prime opportunity to ask a profound life question. “What would you say is the greatest challenge facing your generation?” I inquired of the 16-year-old. Realizing the sincerity and gravity of the question, he paused and thought. After a half mile or so, he answered,

“I think the greatest challenge of my generation is that we don’t know what we don’t know.” Intrigued and admittedly suspicious that he was simply repeating some philosophical idea he had picked up somewhere, I pressed. “What do you mean?” His answer shocked me. “Well, my generation is pretty smart, but sometimes we think we have all the answers, and that creates problems for us.” He was not repeating some philosophical ideology. This unchurched young man had reached all the way back to a Biblical principle. Every generation needs other generations.

Today, we call this principle of learning from previous generations ‘intergenerational’ and observe it throughout Scripture. We see it when Moses, under the inspiration of God, writes Deuteronomy six,

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And *thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children*, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6.4-7, emphasis mine).

We hear it in the Psalms, “One generation shall praise thy works to another, And shall declare thy mighty acts” (Psalm 145.4). It even appears in the book of Acts when Stephen stands to preach and declares what God did for his ancestors (Acts 6).

I tend to agree with the young man; your generation can create their own problems. However, each generation faces its own set of difficulties. That is not the trouble. The issue is when you create trouble that could have (and should have) never been there to begin with.

Now, back to the cheat code for life. What if I told you that you could avoid certain problems altogether? What if you could somehow navigate society in a way that saved you from heartache, pain, and regret?

If we believe that the Bible is true, then we know that “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1.9).

This means there is a sort of “cheat code” for life. The generation older than you (a decade or more) is your cheat code. Even though they wore bootcut jeans and trucker hats or popped collars and hoodies under their blazers, they have walked where you are walking. These men and women can see “down the road of life,” and by simply asking questions of them, your generation can avoid creating your own problems that you didn’t know you were creating.

So, if you don’t hear my advice, listen to it from one of your peers—your generation is pretty intelligent, but sometimes you think you have all the answers, which creates problems.

I have learned that your generation is often underestimated and written off as unable to hold hard conversations. While you may not have as much life experience as some, you have more than others. I have also learned that, when primed, the insights you bring are tremendous. Just don’t get too smart and create problems you could have avoided. My generation believes in you and in the work God has called you to accomplish.

God built the family on purpose; allow your parents to instruct you in the ways of righteousness. Find a Godly mentor; grant them access to shape your thoughts on what is happening in your life. Maintain a relationship with your Pastor; permit them to shepherd your life.