GOD. YOUTH. TRUTH.

With my 10 year class reunion approaching quickly, I took the chance to look back and think about the things that I wish someone would have told me when I was younger. These are a few things that I came up with…

1. Be yourself:

There are so many people telling you what to be or how to be it that you can almost kill yourself chasing down every fad or trend. Explore what it out there, but you need to learn who you are first and foremost. Each of us is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) by God, and God has sculpted us in such a way that we are unique and individual. We must search ourselves out and find that uniqueness that God has placed in each of us.

2. Use your Emotions.

At no greater time of your life are you as passionate, on fire, crazy, or in love with everything in life. Use this to your advantage, and take the time to fall in love with God. It seems that God can be so distant at times, but a love for Him can be strengthened through serious study and dedication during this time. Christ pointed to the fact that loving God is the first and greatest of the commandments (Matt. 22:37, Mar. 12:30, Luke 10:27-28). If you can figure this out during your youth, you can create a long and strong relationship with God.

3. Do not sell yourself short.

“Let no one despise you for your youth (I Tim. 4:12). As teenagers, you hear plenty about what you can not do, but do not let this deceive you in thinking that you are unable to accomplish great things. You are at a point in your life that you have so many options and possibilities that can be rewarding to you and glorifying to God in the same breathe. There are countless examples of teens that wanted to make an impact in the world around them and undertook something that many believed that were unable to conquer. Dedication and a clear goal create a winning attitude that makes you unstoppable at this point in your life.

4. You are an example.

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1Ti 4:12) The biggest thing that I did not realize in my teenage years was the impact that I had on those who were around me. People became more excited about something when I became more excited about something. Put that to use for God. I also didn’t realize the people that I had watching me for cues on how to live life. We never truly know the scope of our impact until we see it in action. You are someone’s example. Are you setting a good one? You have an opportunity to lead others just by the way that you live.