This post is for friends who are in their senior year of high school.
The senior
year of high school can be one of the most awesome years of your life.
You’ve gotten into your niche in academics or sports or band or whatever at
school. You get to do college
visits! You get to do crazy fun stuff
with really cool friends!
It can also
be one of the most stressful. There’s relational stress with friends. There’s emotional stress as you figure out
what you’re going to do with the rest of your life. There’s physical stress
with late nights and big assignments and lots of activities. And there’s that awkward tension with your
parents as you try to figure out how to be an adult and they try to figure out
how to let you be one.
And it can
also be one of the most blah. When some
people get to their senior year there’s this weird feeling of “blah” that
settles on them. They have a hard time
finding motivation to get important assignments and responsibilities
accomplished. Some people call it “senioritis.”
Whatever your
year has been like so far, here are a couple tips to make the most of the rest
of it.
1. Enjoy it!
With college on the horizon, it’s easy to become far-sighted during your
final months of high school. That’s why you should be careful to not miss the
amazing moments sitting right in front of you. Your senior year can be one of
the most rewarding and enjoyable years you’ve had yet. Enjoy the special times
and opportunities that will surround you. Takes lots of pics and videos. You’ll only be a high school senior once —
hopefully — so get out there and make some memories.
2. Think Long Term—Don’t grab at short term thrills
How are you giving up long term good for a present thrill? Think about
your decisions with money, school, and even sexual purity. Don’t sacrifice
God’s great plan for you for a temporary pleasure. Many who are sexually active
or involved in drinking or recreational drugs in high school pay a heavy price
down the road. It’s not always easy to
say no, but it is worth it. You may not feel like continuing to follow Jesus and
doing the right thing now, but remember, “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor
the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1
Corinthians 2:9). It will be worth it in the end.
3. Leave a legacy
As your thoughts and plans become more and more focused on next year,
remember that you still have work to do where you are now. You are a senior.
You are a leader. God has called you to be where you are “for such a time as
this” (Esther 4:14). Don’t try to fast-forward to college. Instead, make your
senior year count. Seek God for courage and strength to make a mark for Him and
leave a legacy behind you. Find a way to
make a difference and then do it!
4.
Mentor a younger student.
Remember those high school seniors you used to look up to a few years
ago? Now’s your chance to be that person for someone else. Take the opportunity
to build some positive relationships with those who are younger than you and to
be a role model for them. Whether you’re on the football field, in the
classroom or at your church, you just might be surprised who’s watching you,
and you never know how much of an impact you could make on their life.
5. Thank a mentor
There have been lots of people who have helped you get where you
are. Parents, grandparents, aunts,
uncles, teachers, youth workers, have all put energy and sweat in order to help
you get where you are. Take a moment to
think about who has impacted you. And
then thank them. Tell them what it was
about their life that impacted you the most.
Believe it or not, your word of encouragement might be just what they
need that day.
6. Spend quality time with your family.
You likely won’t be seeing your family as often once you move off to
college, and many college freshmen are surprised by how difficult this turns
out to be. When your little sister wants you to play a game of Sorry with her
or your parents suggest a trip out for ice cream, say yes and cherish the time
spent with them. There will be days next year when you will wish you had the
opportunity to enjoy those kinds of moments together.
7. Let Jesus be your mentor, friend and
guide—PRAY A LOT
This really is the most important. Jesus
wants to involve you in His mission to redeem this world, in His plan to show
his love to all people. Do not push Him
to the side in your efforts to enjoy your final year of high school. The more you ignore Him, the easier it will
be to ignore him. But instead of that, “let us run with perseverance the race marked
out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
(Hebrews 12:1b-2a) Fix your mind and your heart on Him. Allow Him to mentor you, to be your friend
and to guide you through this school year.
This means spending time in prayer, talking with him, listening to
him. As you do that, he will shape you
into the person you need to be for this time and prepare you for whatever comes
next.
This list has been inspired by and adapted from two interweb articles. Here
they are:
