ROMANS 12:2
I have never heard anyone say that growing up is easy. For me, going from elementary to middle school was a big change, but the biggest change was going from middle to high school. On the first day of my freshman year, I felt intense pressure to dress “right,” act “right,” and talk “right.” I remember feeling terribly awkward around the “popular” kids. I was afraid that if I messed up or said something stupid, I would be made fun of and forever put in the lame category. But the transition to high school brought with it some good changes along with the hard ones. I started to grow in my relationship with God, and as I did, I slowly began to care less about what anyone and everyone else thought of me. I started caring more about what God thought of me, and I grew less afraid of being just who I was. I began to make friends that love me for who I am, who don’t make me try to be someone I am not. I am thankful for the person I am, and even for the tough process it has been to get here.
Katelyn Westfall, 15, Dover High School, Dover, OH
You never said the right road would be the easy road, Lord.
Help me to learn from hard times rather than just
feeling sorry for myself.