Youth, Deformity in
Early damage or influence can cause lasting crookedness, like a bent tree in youth.
A child, being asked why a certain tree grew crooked, replied, "I suppose somebody stepped on it when it was a little fellow."
Youth in Christian preaching often symbolizes a formative period marked by potential and vulnerability, emphasizing the need for early spiritual shaping (Ecclesiastes 11:9). Illustrations commonly use images of growth, such as trees or fountains, to convey both the vitality and fleeting nature of youth (Psalm 71:5). This period calls for intentional nurturing to avoid lasting deformities in character.
Youth, Fountain of
The mythical fountain of youth symbolizes humanity's desire for perpetual youthfulness.
According to a tradition current among the natives of Puerto Rico, there was an island of the Bahama group which had upon it a marvellous fountain, whose waters produced perpetual youth. For this marvel of Nature, Juan Ponce de Leon, the Spanish navigator, sought long and earnestly, yet in vain.
Youth, Transitory
Youth is fleeting and must be lived fully every day, unlike a garment worn sparingly.
Youth is not like a new garment, which we can keep fresh and fair by wearing sparingly. Youth, while we have it, we must wear daily, and it will fast wear away. J. Foster.