JR High for me was a scary place. I was afraid of everything!
- The way I looked, my size, clothes, hair, teeth…
- My beliefs
- Getting beat up
- Yelled at by teachers
- Failing
- ACCEPTANCE: I wanted people to like me…
To be honest, acceptance is over rated. My tortured years in JR High were spent similar maybe to what you’re experiencing now. I fought for acceptance. I wanted good grades to please my teachers and parents. I wanted to look cool to impress the girls. I wanted to be athletic and funny so the guys would want me around. I tried not to cry when I got hit in the face playing dodgeball in gym class. I also tried to live the way I knew I should as a Christian. More often than not I failed at them all.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to fit in and be accepted. It’s part of the way we were created. Belonging is one of the more basic needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy (refer to chart). The lower the needs in the hierarchy, the more fundamental they are and the more a person will tend to abandon the higher needs in order to pay attention to sufficiently meeting the lower needs. For example, when we are ill, we care little for what others think about us: all we want is to get better.
The problem comes when we sacrifice the needs for the wants. 
“But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you – from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.”
(1 Peter 2:9-10, TM)
How many of those friends at school do you think you’ll still be friends with a year after graduation?
You belong – you’re accepted, not because of what you have or what you accomplish, but rather because of WHO you are. You have been created in the very image of God with gifts, characteristics, personality, talents…all with a purpose!
I think that the first key to surviving JR High – life in general – is for us to realize our IDENITY, the fact that we belong and are loved!
1 comment:
Roger,
I have been reading through your blog. I really like what you have to say about youth ministry and reaching youth, you have such an interesting perspective.
I was wondering if you might be interested in contributing some of your writing to the resource library for the website of the ministry that I am working with. You can see the resource library at www.calledtoyouthministry.com/resource and you can contribute by going to the contribute page on the site.
Thank you so much for your work and for your writing. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know.
God bless,
Betsy
betsy@calledtoyouthministry.com
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