What Do You Say?

As a home school graduate, I cannot began to tell you how many times people have told me that I need to get out and socialize more with people my own age. For some reason people assume that I will grow up dysfunctional in some form or fashion if I do not. Once upon a time I did bemoan the fact that I did not have any friends my exact age, but as time passed I began to see that it is not the number of years a person has been alive that counts, but the amount of love and understanding they have that makes them good friends.

I once read that something that has always stuck with me. "We are not raising our children to be children, we're raising them to be adults." Now when people talk as if I am missing out, or will grow up into some type of lesser person for not have had extensive communication with people my own age, I laugh. No, I may never have to deal with extreme amounts of peer pressure, and I may know how to have intelligent conversations with adults, but I do not see that as a bad thing. Why should I? The way I look at it is that I actually have an advantage over my peers.

I would love to hear stories from fellow home schoolers on this one. What have people said to you, and how did you respond? Do you think that having only friends your age is an advantage? Or not?

At eighteen I was getting ready to graduate from high school, and I was worried because I did not have any real plans for what I would do next. I had always assumed I would go straight from high school into college, but as the time drew near, I became more and more unsure if college was the right choice for me.

Soon after graduation I got my first job and started working full time. I was a bit burnt out with book learning and decided to take a break. Though, the break from school was nice, I never stopped worry about what I should do about college. I looked at many colleges and many degree plans, but nothing seemed to be right.

I prayed and prayed asking God to show me what it was He wanted me to do. I always received silence, which I interpreted as a signal that I was to wait. So, I waited, worried, and worked. A year passed. "God, surely now is the right time. I am tired of not knowing. Won't You just give me a hint." Still nothing.

I kept working and I kept looking. Several times I thought, "Oh, this is it. I have found it!" Then as I pursued that path further every door was closed. This kept happening until I came to the point of, "You know what, Lord? I am not going to worry about this any more. This is Your deal, it should have been Yours all along, and I am not going to worry about it any more. I trust You. I will wait on You another ten years, just walk with me."

Then one day, almost two years after I had begun working, I knew. God showed me the perfect path, and not only that, but He also made a way where I thought there was no way. He proved to me again, that He is an awesome God. He knew His plan all along. He just wanted me to learn a lesson in trusting Him. Think of all the time and worry I could have saved if only I had trusted Him from the start!

In the next few months I will begin a new journey, called college. I know that there will be tough times, but I also have peace because I trust that my God can, and will, see me through.

This is just one more story about how God has revealed Himself to me. This is just one more reason why I know that God is real. It feels so good to say I have no worries, because my God is in control.