The teenage years—and the transition from child to adult—are a time of decision-making and taking responsibility. I remember asking myself, “What do I want my life to be like?” and “What makes sense to me?” I analyzed my parents and how they dealt with life, and thought about what I wanted to do similarly or differently. I remember being ultra-sensitive to hypocrisy and feeling an urge to test the limits of everything. In my mind were thoughts like: “Was what teachers and other adults told me really true? What was real life like?”

Those years of transition are also a time of questioning God and challenging spiritual beliefs. It is a time (for those who grew up in the Church) of either accepting religion or discarding it.

C.S. Lewis, although he didn’t have God’s truth as we know it, as an adult became one of the most influential and famous Christian writers. But he went through spiritual growing pains during his teenage years as many of us do. He grew up in the Church of Ireland, but he didn’t feel his childhood was especially spiritual or religious. In his autobiography Surprised by Joy, he writes: “I was taught the usual things and made to say my prayers and in due time taken to church. I naturally accepted what I was told but I cannot remember feeling much interest in it” (page 7). At 15 he became an atheist, feeling overwhelmed by emotions that seemed to pull him in opposite directions. He writes: “I maintained that God did not exist. I was also very angry with God for not existing. I was equally angry with Him for creating a world” (ibid., page 115).

Sometimes in this stage it’s easy to want to test God. It’s tempting to think, “Are the boundaries of His law really for my own good?” and, “If I break His commandments, will what He warns really come true?” Some seem to want to test God through their own disobedience, daring God to show Himself, to call down fire or send them a sign.

Malachi 3:13-15 addresses this issue: “‘You have said terrible things about me,’ says the Lord. ‘But you say, “What do you mean? What have we said against you?” You have said, “What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying His commands or by trying to show the Lord that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm”’” (New Living Translation throughout).

The people God speaks about in these verses are questioning whether it is worthwhile for them to obey God. They have doubts about whether God will follow through on what He says, or if His laws just limit them for no good reason.

In times of doubt or transition or growth, however, there is another possible way to respond. Instead of testing God to prove He exists, test Him through obedience. Malachi 3:10 says, “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the Lord, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’”

In my first year after college, when I was far from my family and working retail while trying to gain experience through an unpaid internship, I realized I hadn’t been tithing consistently. I was renting a room from a Church member and struggling to make everything work, not wanting to ask my family for more help. Despite the strained circumstances, I decided to set up my tithe payments and make sure I was doing that every month instead of putting it off. That same evening (before I had even sent any tithes, but after deciding I would), the lady I was staying with comes over and gives me an envelope, saying she put it in the wrong pile a while ago but it’s actually for me. Inside was a big check, the security deposit from my old apartment that I’d been waiting probably six months for and hadn’t received until then. God always has blessings waiting in the wings to reward obedience.

I don’t think His promise is limited to tithing either. I’ve heard stories about keeping the Sabbath, overcoming addiction, and just stepping out in faith in order to be a good example to others. Ecclesiastes 12:1 is a reminder that youth is a time of exploration, but that following God will never do you wrong. When feeling far from God or in that shaky time of transition, make your parents’ religion your own. Trust God and obey. He wants a relationship with you, and He wants to bless you. Through obedience, faith grows, and wisdom develops as blessings rain down.