Caffeine is a vital part of popular culture and economy. Depending on your country of origin, coffee or tea is the main method of delivery, but for young people, new pathways to consuming caffeine have emerged. Energy drinks, pills or powder have become popular, but they carry additional concerns.

According to an article by Dr. Sanjay Mehta of CentraState Medical Center in New Jersey, these forms of caffeine are much more concentrated and delivered all at once into the body, rather than over time as a cup of coffee would be consumed. This can have a faster, more detrimental impact on a young person and has resulted in increased visits to the emergency room for caffeine overdose, and even cardiac arrest or seizures in certain cases. Dr. Mehta suggests that, although it would be ideal if no one under 12 consumed caffeine, the reality is that consumption will occur, but it’s important for parents to talk with their children and teens about consuming caffeine responsibility, since it is a stimulant.

Dr. Mehta suggests setting a good example for younger people by consuming caffeine beverages in moderation, knowing how much caffeine is in any beverage consumed, and setting limits on how much is consumed. The safe daily level of caffeine for teens is about 100 milligrams or three cans of Coke (also be aware of how much sugar is in caffeinated beverages) (Dr. Sanjay Mehta, “Kids and Caffeine: How Much is Too Much?” Live Science at LiveScience.com, November 5, 2014).

From the perspective of God’s way of life…

Caffeine consumption brings up three important facets of living a godly life: obedience to parents, moderation in all things, and responsibility. Parents have a responsibility to monitor the food choices of their children and to guide them and teach them good habits, but at the same time, young people have a responsibility to honor their father and mother and respect that guidance (Exodus 20:12).

Responsibility is an important part of this equation. We are all responsible to God for our actions, including what we consume, and how we treat the bodies he gave us, and we are also responsible to others for how we treat them, based on Jesus Christ’s summation of the 10 Commandments in Matthew 22:37-40, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Moderation is also a godly principle, and one verse in the King James Bible is expressly translated that way, “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5). Our conduct is one of the ways we exhibit God’s way to others. To be known for being moderate in all things, balanced in our approach to our choices in life (according to God’s law) is to exemplify Jesus Christ in our daily living. Even your wise and careful consumption of caffeine sets an example.