be a teenager
Welcome to part two of what I learned at camp!
Teenage years… I now realize it’s a beautiful stage of life. People tell me these years go by so fast, that one day you're in middle school and the next you're married. I’m constantly reminded never to rush these years, but here I am 15 sometimes wishing I was 24.
As I turned 15, and got my learner’s license and first job, I felt the need to rush the process of life even more. These past few months, I couldn’t understand the beauty of this age. School got harder, life felt tougher, and I watched girls on social media go off to college, live in their own apartments, and walk out into the “real world”. I was (and often still try to be) in a rush to grow up and I put a lot of pressure on myself to act 21 when really, I am a teenager who is still learning this game called life.
I didn’t like to make mistakes and am still learning to give myself grace (see part one). I didn’t want to seem like an immature teenager, so I needed to be overly mature. It was as if I couldn’t allow myself to be the person I was, fifteen.
At camp, I had a moment in what they called “the lodge” with my youth leader. As we ended our conversation, I told her, “I think I've learned two things about myself. One, I don’t give myself enough grace, and two, I need to let myself be a teenager.”
What a radical thought. A teenager needs to be a teenager!
Seriously though, it’s hard and maybe you are in the same boat. Allowing yourself to feel what you feel, make mistakes, and learn life lessons is hard.
We all want to be perfect, be seen as mature, and achieve all our goals right now. What is so beautiful is that God made these stages of life for a reason. Growing is part of the plan. Learning is part of life. We can’t rush God’s plan because then it wouldn’t be God’s plan. We can’t deny our current stage of life and try to become someone we aren’t. Speaking to myself right now! :)
Dear teenager, you aren’t 22 and that's okay. God has you as 15, 16, (insert your age), for a reason. Together, we have a lot of learning to do and some mistakes to make. Be a teenager. Enjoy this season! Go hang out with friends on a random Tuesday afternoon. Get ice cream and ride the roller coaster! Live life! Feel free! Teenage years will go by quickly. Make the most of every moment!
