Thriving in High School

The idea that I would write an post on the subject of thriving in high school is laughable, but hey, maybe I'll get lucky and take my own advice. Maybe I can give some perspective on what not to do. Point #2. I attend a Christian high school and while I believe many of the struggles are similar in a Christian school, there are certainly major differences between private and public education. That being said, here goes nothing..

I often see articles or posts about "surviving high school". To give advice on that subject is much simpler. All you have to do is stay awake and give 59% effort. D- is passing after all. However, you'll find that surviving isn't always the best option. I've seen survivors who sure don't look the best, so in the words of an unspecified band (cough cough Switchfoot cough cough): "I want to thrive, not just survive".

Rule #1: God is not only your home base, but your rock, fortress and only constant. Everything, everything, is subject to change. Shows end. Bands break up. People change. Friends leave. God does not. Ever. A rule for not only high school, but life in general: Keep God first in anything and you'll never regret it. If you are depending on a friend and that friend is gone or worse, breaking up the friendship, your day will be horrendous. If you are depending on your family and come home and can't agree with them and simply argue all night, your day will be excruciating. However, if you are depending on God, you know that He will always be there and knows exactly what is best for you. Not to say you will have no bad days, that is unavoidable, but if God is your rock a bad day will be insignificant with eternity in mind.

Rule #2: Love people. ALL people. Yes, that "all" is in all caps and italics. That is the emphasis I intend. People are awesome on their best days and cruel, destructive, idiots on their worst. Without Christ you'll find those worst days are often, but that isn't the point. We are to love as Christ loves us. How do we compare to Christ? We don't. Yet He loves with all imaginable love everyday. How much more should this apply to us? We are as broken and destitute as the next guy, so why not love. Sub-rule #1. Love ALL people the same. Your best friend, your worst friend, your teacher, your annoying desk neighbor and that creepy guy in the corner (or dare I say: creepy girl?). The popular and unpopular, the rich and poor, the smart and the...not as smart, all of them are made in Christ's image and are quite possibly really interesting people. Or they might not. They might hate your guts. They might stare at you blankly or verbally attack you. Love them then too. It will get you far. Love in every situation, in the betrayal, the failure, the awkward, the beautiful, the unbelievable, the painful and the heartbreaking. Tall order. Try it. No one can live up to the standard, but it's what we're called to, so might as well give it a try.

Rule #3: Pay a little bit of attention and pray for alertness, The amount of good it does is really quite surprising. Really Rule #3 should just be "pray". Any problem can be sorted with prayer. Maybe not in the way intended by the prayer, but in the best way. God's plan is best.

This Is My Father's World

How do we know God is real? What is our justification for faith? A question and a statement. The question. What is our justification for not having faith? The statement (or statements). I live in my Father's world because...

Because there is no other world to live in.
Because the sky wakes up orange and red and goes to sleep purple and pink.

Because there is such thing as the laughter of babies.

Because we have the ability to sing for the sake of singing, regardless of talent.

Because you woke up this morning.

Because there is love.

Because humanity writes stories of long epic adventures.

Because if I didn't, I wouldn't live.

Because there is community.

Because the end of the Universe is unattainable.

Because we are minuscule.

Because all of creation sings my Father's name.

Because my soul is free and my sin is gone.

Because we dream.

Because every particle of my body holds together in the never-ending dance of electrons.

Because there are trees with arms perfect for holding humans.

Because there is a thirst in humans to see all of the beauty in creation.

Because there is beauty in the subatomic level to the interstellar level.

Because there is a mountain peak.

Because there is a bottom of the canyon.

Because we can't comprehend anything that matters eternally.

Because we get all we need daily.

Because an asteroid hasn't destroyed earth in the past six thousand years.

Because eternity must exist, yet does not in the natural world.

Because two thousand years ago two thieves watched the Creator die on two pieces of wood that He put on the earth and one mocked Him, but one didn't. One thief understood and soon after discovered that the beauty of this earth was nothing compared to being with his Creator in Paradise.

Because we are all one of those thieves.

Because I live in an environment of thieves who understood.

Because they taught me to understand and the Creator showed unbelievable Grace.

Because Paradise is coming. 

Chapters

People come. People go. Stories start and stories end. Relationships blossom and dwindle. Rinse, repeat. There oft comes a night like this one where our individual Stories reach a stopping point. The end of a chapter so to speak. This isn't to say it's an end to everything in a life, but it's a night when God seems to wrap up things well, yet still leave me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what comes next. Story lines that have been woven into our daily lives are brought to close while recurring characters take their exit. New plot lines are introduced and new characters brought into the mix and my chapter ends always seem to end with a moonlight drive along my Lake. Who knows what comes next? God does. He has put His pen to the page and continues to write. Every second God puts down on the cosmic paper we call the cosmos His story. He has had it in His mind for eternity past and He puts it down constantly in this constant state of flux we call the present. 

He closed my last chapter at a wedding in early June 2013. People left. Things had ended and the uncertain was imminent. I look back at this chapter in amazement. Those questions I had then have been answered and the fears relieved. I am where God wants me with people He wants me with. I am where I belong because I am where God has a use for me. The old chapter's questions have been answered and the next brings new ones. Deep questions, trivial questions, questions of life and death and questions of complete unimportance, all of them will be answered as necessary. Him who began a good work in me will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus. That day is coming and with every chapter's end I come closer to it. The writing goes in an unceasing Present and every page turned is one less page till the great eternal Finale.