It has been crazy and full of so so so many decisions.
It's been, at time, stressful.
But then others have been simply beautiful, memories that I will remember forever.
Reminiscing on this past year, however, is not the purpose of this post.
This post is for you, yes you, the rising senior (and even junior!) in high school. For as I thought back on my senior year, there were so many things that I wanted to share with you. So after much thought and consideration on just what I would share...it came down to this: a list of five things to keep in mind as you close out your high school chapter.
1. I suppose we'll start on a non-serious note and I'll say this: have fun. Enjoy yourself! Let these last one/two years of your high school career be the best yet. No matter what's going on, make sure you take time aside from studying, applying to colleges, visiting colleges, and stressing about life in general to spend time with friends, be goofy, watch sad movies, laugh until you cry, eat WAY to much candy, and be a kid because soon people will expect you to be very much like an adult.
2. And that brings us to #2. All of your 18 years people expect you to listen to your parents/teachers, let them make your decisions for you and, well, quite honestly, they still (for the most part) treat you like a child.
But something interesting happens about half way through your junior year in high school. Everyone, and I mean, everyone, is going to ask you this: "So what are you doing with the rest of your life? Where are you going to college? What are you majoring in?"
All of the sudden you're being treated like an adult, expected to have all of the answers and know exactly what's going on. These questions won't end...they still haven't for me! Some days you'll get tired of the endless questions, but know this: these people only want the best for you. Let them ask questions, care deeply, and ask how they can pray for you. Because when you leave for college, knowing you have a crowd of prayer warriors will mean the world. So answer the endless questions, let people treat you like an adult even though it may seem hard to act like one.
3. But also know this: it's going to look like everyone else your age knows exactly what they want to do and exactly how they're going to do it. My friend, that is not the case!
From your perspective, it'll seem that everyone else has everything together, but in reality, they're just as wigged out as you are.
It may not seem like it, but while you're scrambling to submit college applications and trying to squeeze in as many credits as possible, and about to lose your mind...everybody else is feeling/thinking/doing the exact same things.
So friend, you are not alone! Don't let this overwhelm you. Talk about it with your friends and rant together about senior year struggles. We weren't made to do this alone.
4. Treasure every single moment with your family, friends...again, we weren't made to do life by ourselves. Time with those we love should be well treasured, because trust me, when it comes time to leave...or get a job...or do whatever God calls you to do...you'll have wished you would have spent less time on Instagram and Facebook and more with the people you deeply care about.
Friendships are priceless. Family is gold. Time goes by so much faster than we ever think it would. But these relationships are the things you'll remember- and hopefully have- forever. So make them beautiful, memorable, and super fun memories. {I wrote a whole post on this here.}
5. Give it to Jesus.
My friend, turning to people for help is awesome. I highly recommend it. But above that- turn to Jesus. I cannot emphasize that enough.
Turn. To. Jesus.
Let Him have every single detail of your fragile life. He will make it into the most stunning mosaic you've ever seen. Trust me.
I took the long route. I tried to do this whole college, tuition, huge life changes thing by myself. I tried for SO long before I realized: well this isn't working. To say I failed miserably would be an understatement.
No matter how crazy it may sound, this failing was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Because when I turned to give it to Him, He was waiting with open arms, waiting for me to trust Him and let Him take hold of every detail of my life and work it out better than I could have ever imagined. (See Ephesians 3:20-21)
If you take anything from this post, take this: Give it to Jesus. What is IT? Everything. Admissions. Tuition. Nerves. Stress. All of it. He wants to show you just how good He is at creating marvelous stories.
So, as you enter into your final year(s) of high school, I hope this put some peace into your soul. I hope it reminded you to treasure the little things, to have fun, but most importantly: to trust Jesus with your everything. He wants to give you the best possible future.
And as I head to college next week, I'm so excited to be entering this future He has had prepared for me for such a long time.
~Bailey
If you've been looking for updates on With All of Your Heart, here it is! Book #2 is officially published and available on amazon.com. I'm so excited for all of you to read this new story.
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