A rebel spirit

This past week I had a brief encounter with parents of a rebellious teenager. They took the path of least resistance which was "he's a good kid just going through a phase" I disagreed and then tried to encourage them with these words.

A rebellious spirit is a good thing when it is turned toward the side of righteousness. You see someone who has a rebellious spirit in concept has a strength to stand against what they believe to be the norm. They have the strength to stand against those whom they see as authority figures. They have the strength to go against the flow and not be told what to do, or believe. This strength is a good strength and not one to be destroyed.
What you want to do with a rebellious spirit is guide it toward righteousness. When someone is righteously rebellious they use their strength to stand against unrighteousness. They have the strength to stand alone when seemingly everyone else is going the other direction. They have the strength to stand up to ungodly authority that tries to force them to behave in a worldly way.

Righteous rebellion is probably the closest thing to describe what Christ was like. We ourselves are called to be like Christ and in essence he rebelled against much of his culture's authority, expected norms, traditions, and I'm sure as a teenager was not "like everyone else"
I encouraged these parents not to seek to break their teenagers rebellious spirit, but to guide it or shepherd it in such a way that allows the team to remain strong but rebel with blessing.
I've often said there is nothing more powerful on this planet than a teenager with purpose and direction.

Teenagers in general have great strength of character, but have often been corralled in a tight space or released to too much freedom. Guidance and growth of character is not an easy task for any parent or authority figure and a teenager's life but the reward is amazingly beneficial both to the family, their community, and ultimately a culture in which they engage.