Lazy kids? Not!

"Kids today are just plain lazy."  I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone say any iteration of that phrase.   I might not be rich, but I'd at least have some money in the bank.  Kids today are not lazy.  The way they work might be different than my generation, but they are not lazy.  

This was borne out this past weekend as I was privileged accompany a group of 17 teenagers to a camp retreat.  They were not there to play for the weekend.  Instead, we served a group of 220 junior high students so they could focus on their own retreat time.  During the weekend, our team served four meals to this group including setting the tables, prepping the drinks, and plating the food. The team then cleaned up afterwards including washing dishes, wiping tables, and sweeping and mopping the floors. Each meal meant spending two to three hours in the kitchen.  In return, team was given bunks to sleep in, meals which were quickly consumed so they could get back to the kitchen, and free time between meals.  Plus, the team received lots of thank you's and the knowledge that their service meant that the other youth group could focus on sharing the gospel and growing in their faith and not worry about meals.  

I watched this team of young people work together to develop strategies for simplifying the work, such as starting on dishes the moment they walked in the kitchen to creating their own teams for each major work task. They cooperated, problem solved, and created strategies that made each meal time a little better than the one before. The work was hard and tiring, but not once did I hear a complaint from the young men and women.  They simply did what was expected, asking for nothing in return.  

This team is not atypical of other young people I know.  They will work hard to help others and make a difference, even in difficult situations. This does not sound like laziness to me.