| “I don’t fit in!!”
By a 14-year-old girl I walked into a room full of other kids I didn’t know waiting for the class to start. It was awkward to say the least. But that’s normal right? It’ll take time, right? So I waited. Weeks, months, a year and a half later… it hadn’t really changed. I eventually stopped feeling awkward, but I never could seem to fit it. It simply wasn’t possible. No matter how much I tried to connect with those around me, or no matter how many times the other girls in the class By a 14-year-old girl To ‘get along’ with the world, there are a few things to understand. One of which is the many different cultures that exist in it. Or at least to be aware of them. I used to live in Florida, and there swimsuits are part of the culture. I would go to the grocery store in one and a cover-up still wet from the last adventure to the beach. I, of course, tried to choose modest swimsuits, but the fact remains that to many people swimsuits themselves aren’t mod By a 14-year-old girl Going into public high school was interesting for me. I barely knew anyone and wasn’t really social or outgoing. I was worried that I wouldn’t have any friends and that high school would be pretty rough. But I prayed continuously over the summer that God would bring like-minded friends into my life. I wanted to be a light for Christ. The first day I made a few friends not even on purpose. Looking back at it, I can definitely see God at work. I wouldn’t say I have a bunch of friends, or |
tried to include me, I just didn’t fit in. At all. Ever been there? To me, they were foolish, I suppose, now that I think about it. But I didn’t realize that at the time. And the other girls just didn’t understand me. The things they talked about and stuff I either didn’t know (like their music, inside jokes, etc.), didn’t find interesting, rather time-wasting, or completely wrong. A friend of mine shared with me this quote: “I don’t want to fit in, I want to stand out for Jesus,” or something like that. Slowly God showed me why they didn’t get me or me them. John 15:18-19 (NIV) says, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” These girls didn’t openly hate me, though I know for others that is the case. I felt in no way disliked, though I know that may be the case in other groups I may meet in the future. But truly I relate to this verse: I do not belong to this world. Yes, I am human, yes I live in the world, but I am not apart of it. My citizenship is in heaven (
est. In Florida I never ever outgrew a swimsuit, it always wore through in a few months. 🙂 Then I moved to Washington. The swimsuit I have now I have had for over a year. When I go to the beach now, even though there are many, swimming isn’t the primary thing you do at them. I now feel uncomfortable and almost naked in a swimsuit! These are two very different situations. In Florida is wasn’t at all immodest to wear a swimsuit, though now I only wear it at certain places in certain situations because here it would be immodest in certain situations. We must be aware. My Dad always says, “Maturity is being aware”. Things may not be wrong for us but we need to be aware of how it will affect those around us. Will it point them to God?
that my current friends are super duper close, but God has provided the people that I need for right now and I couldn’t be happier. It takes faith to trust God and to commit to Him. I’m glad I put my friendships into God’s hands and now I get to look at the outcome and see how God was there.
Th!nk Magazine 