Five things I learned in high school

1. God leads through parents

For me, this meant "My parents really ARE right!"

I know that, in high school, you really want to just do your own thing. You realize that you're not an adult--and you know that you DON'T know everything--but you feel that you know enough about yourself and the world to be taken seriously. If you disagree with your parents? Yeah, admit it, your first thoughts are along the lines of "They don't know what it's like to be me--so they're wrong." 

The truth is that parents generally see things better than you do. 

If your parents are non-Christian or abusive--and if that is the case, I am so, so, sorry--you need to do two things:

(1) Find a mentor who is a safe, loving Christian;

(2) Honor your parents to the point where it is safe (if your parents are abusive, get help)

God still works through parents. We can't always understand why He chooses to work through what we see as unpleasant and undesirable situations, but we can't see the whole picture.

No matter what you're going through with your parents, God commands you to honor them. He sees the big picture. He's building you into the amazing person He created you to be, and He's getting you ready for an awesome future. So even when you think your parents don't know what they're doing or what they're talking about, remember--God always knows what He's doing.

2. My worth is not defined by my friends. Not by how many friends I have, not by how influential or popular my friends are, not by how many close friends I have, not by how close I am with my friends, not by how many of my close friends are popular--none of that.

I used to be wrapped up in the idea that I needed a close friend or two to validate the fact that I was worth something. Oh, my parents were encouraging, but it didn't matter to me. No matter how many times anybody in my family told me I was wonderful, I still thought to myself, "Well, that's because they're family. Of course they're going to say that. They're biased. I need somebody unbiased to tell me I'm worth something."

Guess what? That's a big fat dirty lie.

If you go for long stretches with no close friends, there is nothing wrong with you! Trust me. By senior year, I was close friends with many wonderful, amazing girls--who, incidentally, all told similar stories. We all knew what it was like to feel alone. We all knew what it was like to be left out. But we'd all learned that we're valuable as individuals. We'd all learned that some people will just be mean. We'd all learned that LOTS of people are exclusive--just because. And we'd learned not to take things personally, but to just keep going.

Think about it this way: In high school, you realize how awful everybody had it in middle school. Well, once you're out of high school, you realize how awful everybody had it in high school.

3. My worth is not defined by boys.

I'm eighteen now, and I've never been kissed.

I've never been on a date.

I've never been asked to a dance.

Hey, I've never even had a boy ask for my number!

And it's not that I don't know any boys. I know plenty of boys. They just chose to date other girls.

Of course, that could be crushing. I could ask myself things like "Am I not pretty enough?" "Am I not skinny enough?" and "What's wrong with me that boys don't like me?"

But the truth is...they just chose to date other girls. And it doesn't mean I need to change. It just means that God created me for a special kind of person--a kind of person I haven't met yet. They're out there. I just haven't met them.

And the same goes for you.

To perk you up a bit--high school boys are also immature. They may like you and never show it.

So, don't give up hope. You probably have a secret admirer. And whether or not he's "the one," you'll eventually realize that boys don't define your worth.

4.  Preparation is important.

Study for your tests. Study hard. Take them seriously. Especially tests colleges will see.

Go on college visits before senior year.

Apply to colleges as soon as you can.

Apply to scholarships. Start early. Start now.

5. Live every moment.

Really live it. Take everything in. Because before you know it....it'll be all over.

And as wonderful as that sounds right now...

You're going to wish you could go back and re-live all the amazing, hilarious, awe-inspiring, crazy, heartfelt, and random moments you're experiencing right now.