In middle school, I would watch the High School Musical movies on repeat. The juicy drama, amazing friendships, and cheesy high school romance were all I could think about, and it gave me unrealistic expectations of what high school would be like. Obviously, deep down I knew that these movies were 100% fantasy, but a girl can dream, right? Well, if somebody were to tell middle school me that I was only going to see my friends once a day because I was not an honors student like my friends or that I would be the only one in my friend group that would not get asked to homecoming sophomore year, or that I would struggle with an eating disorder, struggle in every sport I was in, and that I would get bullied my freshman year of high school then I would have laughed in their face. There is no way that could happen to me. I've struggled with friendship all my life, and high school was supposed to be the end of that, High school was supposed to be the "best" time of my life. The time when I gain a little bit of freedom while also not having all of the responsibilities of adulthood, and it was supposed to be a time when drama ends because everybody has "matured" a little more. Or at least that is what people would tell me.
The truth is, I do not have all the answers and I never will. High school is something that I will most definitely forget because it was such a small part of my life. However, that does not mean I will forget what I learned from high school and I am not talking academically. I could sit here and sulk about all of the times I felt left out or let down, or I can remember every time a friend picked me up when I was down. The times when I cried because I thought I was not good enough, there was always a friend that would be there to tell me I was. The time I forgot my lunch at home and I did not have any lunch money, my friends split their lunch with me because they did not want me sit there empty-handed. Through the good and the bad, they supported me. They were honest with me and told me what I needed to hear instead of what I wanted to hear. I do not say all of these things to boast about my friends because everybody's high school experience is going to look differently than mine, but what I am trying to say is that there will always be good things that happen in your life, blessings that come in disguise, but you will never notice those moments if you are only focused on how things or people are falling short in your life. Trust me, I know it isn't easy to focus on the good, it is actually much easier to focus on the negative and get frustrated when people don't treat you the way you think you deserve to be treated, or when test scores don't come back the greatest even though you studied every night before. I encourage you today not to be so fixated on what others may think, but instead remember that "You are beautiful, for you are fearfully and wonderfully made, (Psalm 139:14). Created in God's image, on purpose, and for a purpose. I pray that you will not feel threatened by change, for life is full of seasons, nothing in this life will last forever but there is always a reason behind every season that comes, so don't waste any season. Despite what may come in those seasons, however, we can be comforted because God never changes. "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
Today as you go through your week, keep your head high and remember whose you are. I hope that you will find rest in the One who created you. Despite what you may think about your life, there is a purpose for your pain, and there is healing in the name of Jesus, all you have to do is draw near to Him and trust the plan that He has for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know that plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans not to harm you, but to give you hope and a future".
"Dear Lord,
You are so good to me. I know there are times when I do not come to you when I am afraid or when I am sad, but I want to thank you for always promising to be with me. I can live confidently knowing that you will never change, even when I do. Help me to put my trust in you and to see others through your eyes.
In Your name I pray, amen."
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