Almost every morning, I log onto my Google News Feed and check out the stories that come up with the key words Teen, Teenager, Youth, Adolescent, and Adolescence. Sadly, the news that pops up is usually less than positive. The more negative headlines fall into one of two categories. First, there are the research reports giving us sobering numbers on social problems like substance abuse, addiction, and sexually transmitted diseases. Second, there are the news stories reporting on individual teens who have engaged in some sort of dangerous or criminal behavior. Just this morning I read about how my own childhood school district had to suspend the football team’s home opener because a student decided to show up at the game with a loaded pistol tucked into his pants.

Each of these stories (while admittedly complex in details of causation) began and continued with a series of bad decisions. These realities got me thinking about a current cultural trend that requires a response. And, they reminded me that those of us who are parents and youth workers are uniquely positioned to train kids in how to make good Godly decisions, rather than decisions that are foolish, immoral, and at times criminal.

The cultural trend is what I call “too much time spent living life in the moment.” This is “Carpe Diem!” and “YOLO” taken to an extreme. While followers of Jesus are called to make the most of every moment, we are also called to live responsible lives of obedience to God’s will and God’s way. We are not called to live without regard for past lessons or future consequences.

This cultural emphasis on eating, drinking, and being merry. . . for tomorrow we die, is magnified when you understand where kids are at developmentally. They’re already prone to this kind of in-the-moment living because of the impulsive nature of the adolescent experience. Yes, it’s that not-so-old frontal lobe again! That’s the part of the brain that’s responsible for decision-making and impulse control and isn’t fully formed until about the age of 25.

This creates a situation where when kids face decisions they tend to default to what they do ask vs. what they should ask. It goes like this. . . “What will this get me now?” vs. “How will this affect me for the rest of my life?” They default to feelings and emotions (being “authentic” to one’s self) vs. rationally thinking through the decision and its consequences. They tend to seek out sensations rather than wisdom. And they tend to default to immediate vs. delayed gratification.

Think for a minute about kids and sexting. Asking for and/or sending a nude photo of one’s self happens in a pressure-filled moment. Kids cave in the midst of the moment. . . and then wind up living for a long, long time with regret when photos go viral or law enforcement has to get involved.

I’ve come to understand that whether we are young or old, one key to making good decisions involves engaging three decision-making principles. These are worthwhile principles to teach to the kids you know and love.

The Principle of the Past: Don’t make a decision until you think back. Have you made a decision like this before? If so, how did it turn out? Do you know people (parents, youth workers, other adults) who have made a decision like this in the past? Seek their wisdom and advice. Does the Bible contain any principles or examples from biblical history that can be employed in the decision-making process? Winston Churchill once said, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” We must consult and learn from history.

The Principle of the Pause: Don’t act too quickly. Seek the advice and counsel of those who are older and wiser. . . people who can help us learn from their mistakes. Ponder whether your decision will put you on the wide road that leads to destruction or the narrow road that leads to life. Consider which path will glorify God, and which path will glorify the world, the flesh, and the devil. I often tell my own kids this: “Every time you make a decision, you are choosing sides.”

The Principle of the Prospects: Recognize that every single decision you make puts you on a road that will bring with it all kinds of twists and turns. What will the consequences of this decision be?

Fourteen-year-old Connor Halsa’s story of good decision-making recently popped up in my daily Google search. While fishing on a Minnesota lake, Halsa hooked and pulled up a soggy wallet containing $2,000 in cash and an identification card with the name of the wallet’s owner, a man who had accidentally dropped his wallet in the lake a year prior, thinking it was lost forever. Without hesitation, Halsa contacted the wallet’s owner and returned it with every last cent. He said, “I didn’t work hard for that money, he did, so it was his money.” Kudos to Connor and his parents who had trained him well! Perhaps we will all do such a good job teaching our kids how to make God-honoring decisions that good decision-making won’t be so rare that it’s newsworthy.