10 Things I Would Tell My Teenage Self

I've been out of my "teenage self" for going on 9 years now. Crazy, I know, and with all of the graduations starting to pop up,  I realized that in June I will have been out of high school for 10 whoppin' years. 10 YEARS! [enter the famous Home Alone face]

When it comes to working with students you can look at it one of two ways; either 1: A great opportunity to invest in people that are changing the world as we speak or 2: run and hide because they're changing the world as we speak.

I pick the first option because let's be honest, if we didn't have people pouring into our lives as teenagers, we wish we did. I valued my Sunday School teachers. I knew that I could call them, email them (because texting wasn't super popular then), or just show up at their doorstep and they'd welcome me in.

So, as a way of cheering to the 10-year anniversary of graduating high school, I thought I'd share some things that I wish would have sunk in a little deeper for me that I think could have drastically changed my years in middle and high school :)

1. Yes, it's true, with every year, you're group (or 'squad' as they say nowadays) gets smaller and smaller. That's not a bad thing. I repeat: That's not a bad thing.

2. The people that you are trying so hard to impress right now...probably will have nothing to do with you once you graduate. That's not a bad thing either.

3. What legacy are you leaving? In 10 years, what will your peers remember you for? Your athletic ability? That you had great style? Or that you loved Jesus? 

4. Your family is important. I was a homebody. I actually enjoyed being around my family. I lived for family vacations and family dinners. Don't push your family aside on a regular basis. Invest in them and they'll invest in you. My family ... 10 years later ... are still some of my best friends. 

5. Don't date "just because". I could write a whole post dedicated to this. This is one thing I really wish I had had engrained in my stubborn head. Dating people isn't a game or a popularity contest and it's definitely not worth the fights you'll fight with your parents if they don't approve of him/her. The chance of you actually marrying your high school sweetheart is very small. So, if you aren't ready to get married...you're probably not ready to date. Save your heartache - you're either going to break up or get married. Strictly my opinion :)

6. Church is IMPORTANT. I have a small group of junior girls that I LOVE and girls, I'm going to hound you next year more than I do now about staying involved. If I hadn't have had my church, especially my senior year, there's no telling where I'd be. As one of our seniors said the other night, your spiritual relationships will far outlast any relationships that you will build. P.S. You have the rest of your life to work. Don't consistently miss out on your relationship with the Church because you have to work ;)

7. It's not about me. When you shift your focus from "me" to "He", the way you go through your halls changes, your conversations change, your perception of people changes. See people through the eyes of Jesus. Who would he have ministered to at your school? Go sit with that person that's sitting by themselves. We preach this to our students and oh how I wish I could go back and just smile at someone that no one ever smiled to or sit with someone no one ever sat with. Make an eternal impression!

8. Sin is temporary. Yes, sin is fun but it's also temporary.  

9. When all is said and done, you will stand and answer to God and He will say one of two things: Either,  "Well done, my good and faithful servant..." or  "I never knew you." You will answer to God...not the people that are pressuring you to do things you're not comfortable with or the people that you want so badly to be your friend that you'd do just about anything to impress. 

10.  It's okay not to be okay. It's okay to take the mask off and let people see you cry. The number one thing, in my opinion, that your peers want to see from you if you claim to know Jesus is authenticity. Having a relationship with Jesus doesn't make you perfect, doesn't mean you have it all together, and doesn't make you better than anyone else. They need to see that from you. Vulnerability is a-okay :)