Hello and welcome back!

            I’m so happy that you’re here to join me for part 5 of the #HowISurvivedHighSchool series.  If you missed out on any of the previous parts, you can catch up here:

Part1

Part2

Part3

Part4

            First and foremost, before I get started with today’s post I want to take a minute to say thank you for all the support I’ve received on my last post.  It was not an easy thing for me to put out there, but I really believe God wanted me to share that message because I think it’s a message that’s important for the young people to hear in the midst of a world where everything is sexualized and there’s so much peer pressure.  So I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the support and encouraging messages I received after last week’s post.

            Today I want to talk about something that’s not only important in high school; but is something that will follow you for the rest of your life: your social reputation.  Now I want to stress that this is not about caring what people think of you- that’s not it at all.  What I mean is building a good reputation so you can earn respect from people around you.  I’ve spent the last 4 years working on this particular aspect of life and let me tell you, having a good reputation will serve you very well in years to come.  Basically you’re just doing yourself a favor now.

            So what exactly does it mean to have a good reputation?  Everyone has different definitions for what a good reputation is, but to me someone with a good reputation exhibits the following characteristics: holds themselves well in bad situations, has good time management skills, and acts maturely.  You want to be known for having good characteristics, not bad ones.   I can think of a few people I know who are just outstanding at what they do and people know them and love them for the good things they’ve done and their kindness.  That is a good reputation.  I also know a few people who fall into the opposite category.  These people do not have the characteristics of a good reputation and are known only for the bad choices they’ve unfortunately made.  That is not a good reputation.

            Why then is it important to build your reputation in high school?  As I mentioned before, starting now will benefit you later, especially when it comes to getting decent jobs, applying for colleges, etc.  People who start to drift off to the wrong direction in high school are more likely to have difficulty with those things down the road.  I see this all the time in society and I’m sure you have too.  People who are getting out of jail really struggle with getting back on their feet and living a decent life because their crimes are now glued to their name.

            I did a blog post awhile back on temptation.  Let me tell you, temptation is a devil in high school.  However, if you can fight it then, it will be much easier to fight it in the future.  I think the reason temptation is so present in high school in particular is because everyone is so easily influenced and it’s easy to give into peer pressure.  I remember one time a few years ago I took a character development class and we had to fill out this paper and on it was a list of questions and we had to answer how likely we were to give into bad situations.  I remember filling out that paper and checking all the boxes that said “not very likely to” and afterwards thinking “would I actually be able to say no?”  I think sometimes we can be so naïve and think “if it’s just this one time it won’t hurt me.”  I’ve learned over and over that no matter how big or small it may seem there’s always going to be consequences.

            There will always be consequences to every action.  No one likes to hear that and I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you, but hear me out because I’m trying to save you now.  The worst part about being a good kid is watching others make the wrong choices and trying to be the one to tell them they don’t have to or shouldn’t do it.  I’m tired of being the bystander to bad situations, witnessing things I wish I hadn’t seen, and hearing things I wish I had never heard.  It’s hard.  Especially when people are telling you “you’re so pure and boring, you don’t know how to have any fun.”  But to me, five minutes of “fun” isn’t worth a lifetime of consequences.  It just isn’t.

            I’ve had people tell me before “it’s okay, sure I messed up but Jesus forgives me and still loves me.”  As true as that statement is, it’s not a free pass to do stuff you know is wrong.   We are lucky to serve a merciful, forgiving God but that is not an excuse to do whatever we want.  Forgiveness does not erase the weight of our sin.  Furthermore, we must confess and acknowledge our mistakes before we can even be forgiven.  In Acts 3:19 it says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

            If you gathered anything from this short message, I hope it will encourage you to stray from the temptations of high school and to not conform to the ways of this modern world.  Sometimes it feels like you’re missing out on the fun you could be having now, but I promise in the long run you will be successful and the people who made the wrong choices will be the ones missing out on greater opportunities.  It’s very rewarding, I promise you. 

                First of all, hello, yes I know it’s been awhile.  Sometimes life just throws a lot of things at you at once and it’s hard to handle them all.  I’d just like to say that I’m sorry for not posting as often, but I do plan on continuing this for as long as I possibly can.  I may not post every week like I originally said, but there will still be posts!  Also, if you’re interested in writing or co-writing a post, please contact me with your ideas!!  I’d love to have some help!  With all that being said, here’s the real post:

“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make”

                That, my friends, is a quote from the amazing Lewis Carroll and has a lot to do with what I want to talk about today.  A good friend recently told me, “we’ve all had bad things happen to us in our past.  But letting that cloud your judgement  about someone new and interesting would be really unfair to you and the other person”.  And unfortunately, I am guilty of doing just that.  Letting my past and others dictate what I should think about a new person.

                Here’s a short example: there was this person I saw every week, but in a crowded place.  They talked to me a few times and asked a lot of questions about who I am and what I do.  The first time I didn’t really think much of it, if anything I thought it was a bit weird.  But fast forward to a few weeks later and I sit next to this person who starts asking me a lot of questions.  When they said they already knew some things about me, I was surprised at first.  It was not until after I left that I realized those two people were the same person.  On an even sadder note, I won’t ever see them again.

                There are two things wrong with that story.  Number one, I can’t ever remember people I’ve only talked to once.  So if you meet me for the first time, I guarantee that I’ll forget your name in five minutes.  I don’t know why, because usually I have a pretty good memory.  Second, I had an opportunity to know someone and I didn’t even take it.  And now I wish I had.  Actually I really wished I had asked them as many questions as they asked me because now I’m stuck with regret and the guilt of not being polite.

                There is a good, solid reason for everyone who comes into your life.  Nothing is an accident.  If you have the chance to go out and meet new people, take it!  God put them in your path for a reason.  As always, the reason may not always be clear but if you ever have the chance to help someone out or talk to them, don’t hesitate.  This is how people meet their best friends and soulmates.  You aren’t going to get very far in life if you only talk to three people.  We all have that bubble, a zone where we feel comfortable and people we feel comfortable with.  But if we live in that bubble, are we ever going to see some of the amazing things the world has to offer?

                I’ve always been one to try new things by myself.  I just never really saw the point of dragging five other people with you if the point of going to that new place is to meet people and try new things.  Maybe this will end the problem of cliques.  If people only knew how many more awesome people there are in the world, maybe they wouldn’t stick to their favorites. 

                One of the reasons I started this blog was to reach people everywhere and to send out positive messages that will impact people’s lives.  One thing I highly encourage is thinking outside the box.  Don’t be afraid to step outside of what you know for something that may just change your life for the better.  I know it takes a lot of courage, but just think of that time when you tried a new food you were nervous about trying and ended up liking.  That’s how these things work.  Lots of courage, but it may help you out in the end.

                As I was writing this, I thought of a song I want you to hear.  This was one of my favorite songs when I was younger, and it has a great message about stepping out to help someone.