TEEN TALK

As an educator for eight years, I’ve learned that whenever a new and fresh perspective is needed, it’s time to talk with teenagers. Teenage talk is brutally honest, unapologetically curious, and passionately opinionated. Chatting with adolescents never fails to shine a light on new ways of thinking that can help adults expand their own understanding. I wholeheartedly believe that working with teenagers makes me a better person each and every day.  

Therefore, when tasked with sharing fresh perspective regarding the tenth commandment, I instantly thought the best way to unveil new understandings was to do what I always do: talk with teenagers. Below, I’m highlighting responses from five high-school seniors when asked the question: Why is the tenth commandment important? To ensure shared understanding, “covet” was defined as, “desiring things that belong to others.”

As you read the teenagers’ responses, my prayer is their words fill you with curiosity, insight, energy, and hope, as talking with teenagers always accomplishes for me.  

WHY IS THE TENTH COMMANDMENT IMPORTANT?

• Coveting causes emptiness in your heart when you always want something more; an emptiness you can never fill. It makes you feel bad about yourself and can even turn into feeling hatred toward the “others” who have what you want. That’s the root of the devil, always looking to cause hate between you and others, when God says we should be loving each other.
• We shouldn’t covet because we don’t know what other people went through to get what they have now. They might have worked really hard to get it, so we should be happy for them. We shouldn’t compare ourselves to each other because we’re all different in our own ways. Be yourself, accept what you have, and work hard if there’s more you want!
• I think God says we shall not covet because it’s not realistic. Coveting creates a fake standard in your head. I can’t covet a billionaire’s wealth because it’s not realistic. I can’t covet a tall person’s height because, again, that’s not realistic. Coveting is wanting a false reality, which makes you totally miss out on the good that’s real and right in front of you.
• This commandment is important because God created every single one of us in His image, not as carbon copies. We were all created to be exactly who He wants us to be, so if we spend our whole lives wanting what others have, we’ll never know our unique purpose. We shouldn’t change who we are because how could that version we desire be better than who He created us to be? Nothing I could do to myself would be better than what He has planned for me. Because His plan is perfect and I’m extremely unperfect. If I try to become like someone else, that’s almost like an insult to God because it’s saying I know better than Him.
• I think it’s important not to covet because God wants us to be content, and He gives us everything we need. So, we’re going against his plan and will if we think we know better and always want this or that when we should just be content with what He provides for us. I think this commandment is extra important because we all deal with this, unlike some of the other commandments, like thou shall not murder. We all know what it’s like to deal with urges to want, desire, and compare every day so it’s super relevant in our lives.