A Bit about the Author: I'm graduating from high school in a month, and so I thought it would be fun to compile a list of ten things I learned in my journey through high-school. I hope that they may be helpful to you if you're just entering into these great years, and you're not sure what to expect, or even if you're almost done and maybe floundering a bit. Whatever the case may be, I hope that something can be gained from my experiences. ~ Katie
1. Dependence:
You don’t have to act tough, like you
can take anything these years dish
out. It’s ok to ask others for advice, to be real, and to depend on your
friends and family for laughter and wisdom. You need your family during these years-if
you push them away, you’ll be sorry. Don’t pretend that you’re too cool and can
figure things out on your own.
2.Trust:
Your high-school years are hard. You’re trying to figure out who you are, and
why on earth you’re here. Place your trust in the Lord. He has taught me a lot
about trusting Him in all things-that He will be faithful to show you His plan
for your life, one step at a time. Proverbs 3:5-6 is a beautiful verse about
this kind of trust, and it’s an important lesson to learn during this time.
3. Humility: Ok, let’s face it-as a teenager, you do
stupid things. A lot of stupid things- such as rolling your eyes at your mom
(admit it-you’ve done it too!), forgetting that test, doing a transaction wrong
at work-the list goes on. This is where humility comes in-none of us like to be
embarrassed or humbled, but I’ve found that it’s really good for you. It serves
as a reminder that yes, you are indeed human-no, you do not know everything,
and sometimes you just need help. Don’t be labeled as arrogant or un-teachable –instead,
be willing to admit that you were wrong. People like transparency.
4. You
need a support system: This is a really fun time to make friends, and lots of
cheesy memories! Just make sure that your close friends have the same values,
morals, beliefs, and standards that you do-you’ve heard the saying: bad company
corrupts good character-and it couldn’t be truer. Have some really close
friends whom you can trust, vent to, lean on, cry with, laugh with, share with,
and do everything beside. FACT: You need
good friends to survive high-school.
5. Love
on your family: As much as you may hate
to hear it, I’ve learned that you really need your family as you go through
high-school. Your mom and dad may seem too protective and nosy, but I really
think they know what they’re doing-after all, they were our age not THAT long
ago. When they hug you, hug them back-you never know how long you have
together. Never stay angry with your family too long-you’re stuck with them
forever, and they will always be there for you, to cheer you on.
If you have a really broken, dysfunctional
family and your parents aren’t around, find wise adults to look up to and talk
with. You’ll need all the sage advice you can get! Trust me-they know a LOT
more than we do, and have usually experienced similar things and can give lots
of great pointers.
6. Boys: That’s not exactly a “lesson” I’ve learned,
but I have gleaned some info on them (you don’t go through four years of
high-school without knowing a little
bit about the opposite gender!). First of all, let me be really honest-during
these years, your hormones are going to go crazy! Yeah, you’ve heard it all before, but if you’re
like me, you won’t actually believe it until
that cute guy (or girl, if you’re a guy) suddenly walks into your life and it’s
all you can do NOT to think about them. Ladies, let me tell you something that
could save a lot of heart-ache and regret: guys are handsome, funny, amazing,
and weird, and it’s normal to try and squeeze every one of them that you meet
into the “my future husband” mold and see if they fit. Whether they do or not,
shamelessly flirting or showing off the curves God’s given you won’t earn you a
lick of respect. It’ll get you attention for sure, but they’ll only see you as
a girl who’s “easy”. I’ve seen some
friends learn this lesson the hard way, and it’s not pretty. God has your
prince out there somewhere, and you may be one of the lucky few that meet him in
high-school, but most of us won’t. You want my advice? Make the guys around you
into great friends and “big bro’s”, but leave it at that until you get out of
high school. It’s less awkward, and you still have buckets and buckets of fun!
Gals, act like ladies, guys-give
the ladies the respect they deserve. Guard your precious heart, save your
beautiful body for the man you marry, and store your romantic longings so that
one day you will be able to shower your husband with your love.
7. Work
hard: This lesson is difficult to learn,
but after a few low test grades, it gradually sinks in. No one loves or really
even likes someone who’s earned the label “lazy”.
8. The
world does NOT revolve around you: Oh boy. I hated learning this one. Goodness,
I’m STILL learning this one! Let me put it this way: it’s super-easy to become
very self-centered during these four years. I’m not really sure why, but the
temptation to put yourself above all else is nearly unbearable. To avoid this, God
has taught me to spend time reading His Word, and focusing on Him (Galatians
2:20 is a great passage to read about this). Immerse yourself in activities
that force you to focus on anyone BUT yourself, such as helping at kid’s
church, volunteering to tutor, working with disabled people, and serving others
any way you can (even making your brother’s bed takes the focus off of you!)
And along these same lines, please don’t
continually talk about yourself with your friends-they love you, but friendship
goes both ways. Ask them about their lives as well-no one likes a one-way
friendship. If all you do is “steal the show”, so to speak, and talk about you,
you, YOU, you’ll quickly find that no one wants to be around you anymore.
9. Be
the real you: Why can’t I be more like
her-have her style, or her sense of humor, or her wit? Who is the real me
anyway? I feel so boring! I’m such an awkward person-if only I could be more
like them….sound familiar? I think we all struggle with feeling inferior, and
wanting to be someone else in this stage of our lives. Whether you’re a guy or
girl, we both have self-esteem issues. Well, I’m here to tell you that after
four years of struggling with being me, I’ve come to the conclusion that being
me is the best way to be. Accept
yourself and all of your quirks, blemishes, pimples, scars, issues, weight,
body type, IQ, and everything else that may make you feel inferior. Embrace your flaws-anyone who tells you that you’re not pretty enough, smart enough, skinny
enough, plump enough, tall, short, skilled, talented-whatever is lacking in
their opinion, they can go get a life. Don’t waste time with people who put you
down-I’ve experienced it, and it makes you feel like a clod of dirt. People
like that do need to be loved, because obviously they have their own
self-esteem issues, but you do NOT have to listen to the lies they feed you.
Choose to be different-be YOU!
10. Have fun! :
This is the last lesson I have to impart to you, and one of the most
important ones-have fun. These are the last four years you get to be a kid! Go
to the amusement parks, be goofy, let loose, make funny faces, wave at
strangers, make someone’s day by giving them a compliment. Be the kind of
teenager that gives the rest of us a good name. Dig into the Bible, grow in
your relationship with the Lord-He loves you-oh, how He loves you! He wants to
be close to you, to be your best friend. Make time for Him-discover how cool He
really is, and how His sense of humor makes you laugh at yourself! Enjoy the
time you have left in high-school, and make the most of it, because pretty soon
you’ll be writing one of these lesson lists yourself!
