High school was interesting for me. Besides fighting insecurity and feeling the loneliness of having to leave friends behind in a new city, I struggled to feel significant. No I don’t mean wanting to be popular or anything remotely close to that. I made new friends and experienced new things. In all honesty I made some pretty great memories in high school. In spite of that I still felt invisible and often times I felt like no one really cared to get to know me. Mix that up with a little teenage angst and you could end up with a little trouble on your plate. All I have to do is read through some of my old journals to understand that (slowly cringing as I type this). But thank God for His love and mercy that He shows in our times of confusion.
Fast forward about four to five years and you will see a turn around that is all thank to the grace of God. I am no longer letting my past keep me from achieving my goals. I don’t feel the need to try to please people in order to fit in. I have gotten to know myself a little more and love doing the things that make me happy. To be honest, I don’t think high school evens compares to what I’m experiencing now. It didn’t define me then and it most definitely doesn’t define my now. In my third year of college I now feel that the potential I couldn’t see in high school is now coming to fruition and I couldn’t be happier about that; but isn’t it funny how the “High School Effect” can rear it’s ugly head when you least expect it?
For the purposes of this post I will describe the High School Effect as that sucky feeling you get when you look at those old pictures you wish you could forget. Or those feelings of teenage angst that arise when you just can’t get any one to like you. And let’s not forget that constant struggle of wanting to have everyone like you and want to be your friend. If any of these things apply to you or make you feel some type of way just know you certainly aren’t alone.
Sometimes, I find myself questioning what God’s will for my life is. Other times I will ask God why I feel so lonely. I’ll also take time out to ask why I feel invisible or forgotten. That’s where the High School Effect comes in.
I think each and every one of us has felt a sense of loneliness, misunderstanding, and insecurity at some point in our lives and those high school memories and feelings might exacerbate those things. Now I know why some people will readily raise their hand and say, ” High school sucks” to a chorus of amens and head nods. There were times when high school didn’t suck for me but I would be the last person to want to do it all over again. In hind sight, those horrible feelings can be a result of some pretty small and petty things when it comes to being in high school, but what happens when those feelings linger after you graduate and go into the real world?
For me the High School Effect is something that causes me to doubt myself. It makes me question whether I can actually reach my goals and whether or not people actually care to know me. In essence it makes me feel like a 15 year old all over again… The High School Effect can take a toll on us in numerous ways. Depending on whether or not you enjoyed high school you may look at your high school memories with a smile, a grimace, or maybe even both from time to time. It can make you feel like a giant or make you feel like an ant. The good news is that your past doesn’t define your future and that there is a God out there who actually has some pretty awesome plans for each and every one of us.
Jeremiah 29:11 ~ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
High school wasn’t the most amazing experience for me; ultimately I am thankful for those experiences because they have helped to make me the person I am today and I just so happen to like who I am. In high school, for every problem or stressful situation I found myself in there was a out and a hope that the future and life past high school was going to be bright. I still have moments when I don’t feel all that out together and I just want to lay on my bed and read a book but I can’t afford to let those things bother me to the point where I start letting the High School Effect have any power over me. High school is something that is in my past and has no room to have a negative impact on my future.
Romans 8:28 ~ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
It pays to take time to count your blessings and see just how far God has brought you. The old has passed away and the new is right in front of you. High school didn’t overpower me and I am hoping and praying that any one who reads this might be able to say the same thing. We all have our good times and our bad times but we can’t afford to be held back by the past. There is too much in store for the future and I think that the High School Effect can’t change that. So whether high school made you scream or whether it made you feel like a champ just know that you probably have a lot more to look forward to now.
twinlyme 
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