It’s hard for youth to be different, but in the long run, it is really best. All through life we will face the pressure to go along with everyone else. It will never be easy to stand alone. But it is the only way that we will develop the confidence we need to consistently make the right choices.
Peer pressure is bad for many reasons. It is the reason why many youth smoking drinking and experimenting with drugs. It is also why many young girls have sex at earlier ages. They reason that it must be all right because everybody is doing it. But it’s a trap.
Although you have many similarities with other youth because you are the same
age, there is a world of difference between you and someone else. The way that
you deal with things may be different than the way your friend does. But that
does not mean you are abnormal, it just means that you are you. So standing
alone is a normal and good thing to do.
We all have similarities, but we are still different. When we understand this simple fact, then we will not feel inferior because we can’t perform like somebody else. I like to play basketball because it’s fun. But I cannot dunk, I’m slow, and I don’t have too many moves. But I still like to play because it’s fun. Why should I feel bad because I can’t dunk? So what. Two points is two points, so let’s have fun.
Listen. If I have bad eyes, I’ll wear my glasses. No matter how thick they are, they help me see well. So I’ll stand alone because that’s me. I feel different because I am different.
Standing alone is painful, but it’s something that we must learn to do. Living for Jesus Christ is not always fun and easy, but it’s right and it’s you. So don’t be afraid to be different. That’s just part of the process of becoming all that God wants you to be.
Edmund Brown