Advice For Pre-Teens and Teens

So, I got a request from someone to post tips on how pre-teens and teens should stay faithful in their relationship with God, deal with friend problems, peer pressure and other issues that may come up during the life before becoming a teenager. So here are my thoughts....

I know in my late childhood days I always felt awkward and it was just a bad phase of life. My friends changed and rejected me and I was becoming adjusted to junior high and the new view of who I should be. I wasn't treated like a child anymore, but I sure didn't feel like an adult yet. I was never one to grow up- I always enjoyed childhood and enjoyed my playful days as long as I could!

If you are experiencing problems with your friends and you feel like everyone whom you felt close to is suddenly changing and refusing you as a friend- it can be quite hurtful and hard to get used to the changes of growing up, but it is all a part of life. I know 5th through 10th grade were the hardest years of school to go through. It was years of transition and getting used to who I wanted to be.

• Maybe you feel like your friends are different and have changed, and they no longer want you as their friend. You feel rejected and you just want to be someone's friend. 
• Maybe you feel like an outcast because nobody thinks you are a good friend? 
• Maybe you are stuck in a friendship where you feel pressured to do things or are taken advantage of? 

There are so many one sided friendships that we all get caught up in and are a part of. It is hard to leave when we feel like we don't like the friends we have- and sometimes they are the only "friends" we are stuck with. But when you feel like you are overlooked and are maybe taken advantage of- know that God has a purpose for what you are going through. He has a plan for your life. He has the people in your life for a reason. They are shaping you for later in life and are allowing you to become the person you are. Yes, even those mean friends, enemies and people you encounter. They all help you and shape you into who God wants you to be. And above all else, God is your best friend who will never abandon or leave you. He will never reject you or think you are ugly or stupid.

During this age everyone makes you feel like you should be like them and you feel pressured into many different things that everyone else is doing- facebook, twitter, social events, partying, sleepovers, sports....so much stuff that you feel like you should be involved in but maybe you don't want to? Peer pressure takes a hold of us and forces us to be a person we don't want to be. We do things just to fit in and not because we want to do them. It is hard not giving into the world and everyone else that is popular. We don't have to do what everyone else is doing. Doing things just because everyone else is doing them isn't much of a good reason to do them. Do the things you want to do because you like them. Be your own person and do the things you want to do, not just because they are popular.

You don't have to be like everyone else to feel confident in yourself. Be happy and glad with who God made you to be- don't be ashamed to be you. He made you unique so you could stand out and be different! Don't be afraid to show yourself and hide what is underneath your appearance. I love this quote...

You don't have to be like everyone else to become an awesome person! It is good to be unique and different!! I remember I really disliked all the people who were popular because they were all the same- snobby, stuck up and made-up.  Most people who are popular are not very pretty on the inside- they focus on their looks more than their heart. If we spent as much time on our inner beauty as much as we do on our outer beauty, I think we'd all be better off- it would last a lot longer in the long-run. I'd rather be someone who was beautiful on the inside than on the outside. In school I wanted to be someone who was real and not perfect. I wanted to care for others and help them, since I wanted the same in return- but not too many showed that in return. Be someone who is truthful and real. Behind every popular person lies a person who makes mistakes, wants to fit in, doesn't feel secure and wants to be loved. Remember, lots of people feel the same way as you but they just don't show it.

I remember hearing that those who are mean and bully others usually are insecure inside and don't feel secure in themselves. They must not like who they are and are upset with themselves. They don't know how to act, so they are mean to those that they like since they are jealous. But those are just some things I have heard....

During my early teen years I have to admit I wasn't very close to God and I didn't spend as much time with Him as I do now. I was close to Him, but not the same as now. I didn't feel as close to Him and I didn't have the same outlook as I do now. But at least that is showing me that I've been growing in my relationship with God.

Don't wait to start growing closer to God until you are older...start now and you will be stronger later in life. It will be worth it if you start spending time with God now because it will give you a better outlook on your life, your friends, circumstances and your future. If you start growing closer to God now, it will prepare you for the harder trials and circumstances as you grow older. Spending time with God can also help you through your current circumstances and help you understand them better.

You can start by spending a few minutes reading your Bible and trying to grasp what God is writing to you. Devotionals help as well to reassure you and encourage you too, but the Bible is almost like a letter from God encouraging you through your day- and sometimes is more personal. : )

Well, hopefully some of you younger visitors could apply to what I wrote. If anyone else has any other topics you'd like me to write about please just let me know!! Thanks for dropping by!