Dear High Schoolers,

photo source:www.annarbor.com

Dear high schoolers,

If I could give you any piece of advice at this stage of your life it would be these two things:
1)Know what you believe
2)Love even when it's hard
You live in a world today that is full of temptation and different beliefs.  They have always been there it's just presenting itself in different ways now.  You live in a world that sometimes you don't understand and that's okay.  One thing that I want you to be aware of is that no matter what you have done, are going through or will go through we have a BIG God who has overcome the WORLD.  He created us, he sees us.

When I was your age I was in church every time the doors were open.  I had heard all the stories and knew the songs by heart and yet my walk and my talk were so shallow I couldn't even fathom what it would be like to dive in and really understand the stuff I was talking about.  I knew everything on the surface but I didn't KNOW what I believed.  I had been spoon fed scripture and morals and beliefs for as long as I could remember and when someone who didn't believe like I did came up and asked a question I would stumble in trying to answer.  So I challenge you to be different.  When you are questioned for your faith don't waiver.  People won't relate to what you are saying about God if you don't really understand it yourself.  You have to know the word because if you know it and live it there will be a difference about you that is undeniable.  As a good friend of mine, Jackie Flake tweeted yesterday, "Discipleship is "follow me as I follow Christ", not "follow Christ as I merely talk about him." You have to walk the talk not just talk the walk.  Maybe that means that when you feel the temptation to get angry or defensive when someone pushes you or challenges your faith that you choose to walk away at that moment for fear that you might do the wrong or say the wrong thing.  It doesn't make you a coward it makes you more like Christ. If you know what you believe then you will also understand that not everyone will believe just like you and you need to respect that.

Christ set the example for us.  He loved even on the cross.  He felt compassion for those who mocked him.  Love is hard to do when people are hard to love.  At church recently we have been talking about loving others and what it takes to do that.  You cannot love someone without knowing them. When you really start to get to know people it changes how you see them.  When you know people you start to feel compassion towards them and you start to gain trust.  Think about the people you trust most in your life.  Those people are the one's that have invested in you, who have chosen to get to know you on a more intimate level and who you will listen to above anyone else in your life.  If you choose to invest in other people's lives the easier it is for you to reach them with the gospel of Christ. Christ's love didn't stop when it was hard, it was all about acceptance, forgiveness and grace.  Stop arguing and start showing people that there is something different about you and that what you believe is the real deal. Love even when it's hard.

I know that life isn't always easy and that sometimes you may feel like others around you don't understand but I want you to know, we care about you.  I want you to feel open to talk and express your opinions even if you are scared to.  Don't forget you are loved and the door is always open.

-Rachel