Dear Diary,
I was in the first or second grade when I first began to journal. My mom wanted me to practice my newly learned writing skills, so she gave me a notebook and I would write in it everyday. I never wrote more then three or four very short sentences, but it was a start.I had just taking my GED test and was officially finished with high school, I had purchased my first vehicle, and had finally gotten my drivers license. Now it was time to get a job. I did not think it would be that big of a deal. In fact, I was looking forward to getting out of the house more and to having a little more spending money in my pocket. With my own vehicle I would be able to get more involved in my local community. I was sure it was going to be great.
I applied several places and sat back nervously waiting for a call. When the call finally came I began to second guess myself. Maybe this was not such a grad idea. Well, it was done, so nothing remained but for me to go to the interview. It went quite well, and by the time I left I was back to feeling fairly confident, if a little nervous.
The first day was a nightmare. It was a busy day at our local Dairy Queen. I had never been to Dairy Queen much, and when I did go I always ordered things like chicken strips, fries, or an ice cream cone. Simple foods, with easy names. Here it was a busy day, my first day, and I was stuck on a register taking orders for things like Hunger Busters. I did not even know what one was! Watching people make ice cream cones looked easy, but let me tell you, it is something that takes a bit of practice. My first cones were big messes, in fact some were not even redeemable and had to be thrown away.
By the end of my first day I was sure I had made a mistake. My feet and back hurt. I was tired, and my mind would not quit spinning.
In the weeks that followed I went to work every day with a sick stomach. My nerves were my worst enemies. I have always been shy, and being thrown into a situation where I was surrounded by strangers all day, everyday, was extremely trying. Then there were irate customers, long lines, and I still did not know the menu.
I prayed many days, “God, I just can’t do this. It is too hard.” But I had commited myself, there was no turning back. All I could do was take it one day at a time and depend on God to see me through.
I honestly thought I would die, but God used those hardships to shape and grow me. Experiencing what it was like to work forty hours every week doing something I did not particularly like made me appreciate the years my dad has worked to so faithfully provide for our family. I learned that with gained responsibility, comes new freedoms, but also, challenges. I did have more spending money, but I now also had bills. I did have a way to get around, but I no longer had as much time to be involved. Things were not at all as I expected them to be. I had been looking at being a grown up through rose colored glasses. It was a rude awakening. This was the real world baby. And I was not sure I liked what I saw.
In the passed few years I have learned a lot about how you can do things you do not enjoy and still have a good time. Whether or not you enjoy life comes out to how you look at things. I am still shy, I still get stressed by having to deal with large crowds sometimes, but I am learning that if I step out of my comfort zone and really focus on other people, it is easier, possible, and even enjoyable.
Life has moved on. I no longer work at Dairy Queen, and though I do not look at my days there with any particular fondness, I can look back and see God’s hand working in my life. I can truly say that I am thankful for those trying days. They helped me learn how to rely more on the Lord, and I would not trade that for anything!
~*~
Discouraged in the work of life,
Disheartened by its load,
Shamed by its failures or its fears,
I sink beside the road;
But let me only think of Thee,
And then new heart springs up in me.
~*~
Thy calmness bends serene above
My restlessness to still;
Around me flows Thy quickening life,
To nerve my faltering will;
Thy presence fills my solitude;
Thy providence turns all to good.
~*~
Enboosomed deep in Thy dear love,
Held in Thy Law, I stand;
Thy hand in all things I behold,
And all things in Thy hand;
Thou leadest me by unsought ways,
And turn'st my morning into praise.
~ Samuel Longfellow
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?
Ages 10-14...
- make your bed every day
- be able to take a message on the phone
- clean your room once a week (with help from Mom and Dad)
Ages 15+ must do all the above, plus...
- do a daily chore [just one], like taking out the trash
- make sure the gas gauge stays above a quarter of a tank
- clean your room once a week (without help from Mom and Dad)
This is a list Alex and Brett Harris found online of what kinds of expectations parents should have of their teens. The article even went on to assure the parents that they should not feel that their children should have to even do all of these things, because that might be expecting to much from them!
If you are a young person and that does not encourage you to rise above low expectations (and in this case very low expectations) I do not know what will. Why, adults expect almost that much from two-year-olds.
When we were little we were expected to help pick up our toys, obey, and learn new stuff every day. Think about it, if you are two and you refused to learn new words, you would never learn to talk. If you thought that your parents were expecting to much to encourage you to walk, then you would still be crawling around. If you refused to eat real food that you had to work hard to chew since you did not have all your teeth, you might still be eating baby food. Why is it all right to expect toddlers to learn so much and work so hard to become more independent, and it is not okay to ask the same of your teenagers?
I am a Rebelutionary, and I am proud of it. I believe that every young person is capable of so much more the what is expected, and I challenge you to rise above what people expect of you and do great things.
"Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
1 Timothy 4:12
"If Christ appeared to me, would I see Him for who He is, or would I be blinded to the truth? Would I even know Him? If only I would always treat others as I would Christ, then I should never have reason to be reproached."
~December 26, 2009From my Bible study notebook
"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye. Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" Matthew 7:1-5.
