This morning at church was "Promotion Sunday," the Sunday service where all the kid and student ministries officially moved up a grade. It was a big day in the Galvin household... my oldest son, Will, became apart of the "green" class, and my youngest James, joined the mighty "orange" horde.
Another big milestone that happened was the students that I get to hang out with on Wednesday's and Sunday's known as the "Dream Team," moved from the junior high ministry Wake, over to the high school ministry, Shoreline. They sat together at "big church," and it got me excited for what's ahead in their lives.
As I reflected back to my own high school years, I began thinking about the question... If I could go back and do high school again, what would I hone in on?
Though I can't go back to school myself, what I can do is impart my some advice upon these amazing freshmen men so they can "do high school well." Many of the things on this list come from lessons I learned doing things the wrong way.
Before I can say Jackie Robinson, these freshman guys will be done with high school and off to college. Even my own boys (age 3 and 1.5) will be 18 in a blink of an eye. All the more reason to think through this wisely.
Here are some thoughts and pieces of God's word that I hope will encourage and sharpen you, Dream Team men! Consider this a note of encouragement from me to you...
1) Who you are in high school lays the foundation for the rest of your life. Your choices matter. Joshua 24:14-15 tell us to "choose this day whom you will serve." Think through who you want to be for the rest of your life. That journey starts now.
2) There is never a better time in your life to fill your heart with God's word. Proverbs 2:1-5 calls us to "seek His word like silver and treasure up his commandments within you." Your high school years are an amazing time to grow in your walk and seek out the Lord. The Bible is filled with truth and wisdom; and my prayer is that you would seek it with all your heart like Jeremiah 29:13 says.
3) Your friends will change- My high school "clique" was a group of guys that I hung out with in high school, but as soon as we graduated, I never spoke to them again. Why that was the case, I'm not sure.
What I do know is that the guys who stuck around in my life were the guys I pursued the Lord with; those guys were in my Watermark small group from 6th-12th grade, teammates in college at Baylor who sought God's word, and faithful men who are now apart of my community group back at Watermark.
1st Thessalonians 5:9-11 talks about men who encourage one another, build each other up. Find these guys and dig in! Find men like Proverbs 27:17 who aren't afraid to speak hard truth into your life so that you grow into a stronger man. Oh and have some good clean fun along the way!
4) The friends you surround yourself with will help determine who you are. Proverbs 13:20 reminds us how if we surround ourselves with wise men, we will become wise. Think about who you become friends with carefully. It can be easy to associate with people just because they like the same sports teams, look like us, talk like us...but if they aren't wise or seeking the Lord, you are heading down a road that won't end well. There is an old adage that says you are the average of your 5 closest friends. Think about that and choose wisely.
5) You still live under your parents roof. This one stings a little because I for one struggled to listen to my parents often in high school. Most of the time I thought they were trying to rip me off from having some fun. But you know what? Turns out 99.9% of the time, they were right!
Proverbs 1:8-9 tells us to hear our parents instruction and bind it around our neck. Ephesians 6:1-3 says that if we follow our parents way, it will go well for us. Following them is another way of honoring the Lord.
6) Sports are a great investment of time, but don't make it your identity. My high school story is this in a nutshell: Putting my identity in sports, watching it slowly fail me, rinse and repeat. I continued down this path until my sophomore year at Baylor and one day wondered, "Lord is this all you have for me? Is this it?"
But the Lord continued to show me that putting my identity in Christ was the only way to find satisfaction in this life. Psalm 103 has become a foundation in my life, reminding me where I was and that ultimately, Christ will renew our hearts. If you are looking to memorize a verse, memorize Psalms 103:1-5.
7) Prepare yourself now to be the husband you want to be down the road. Pursue purity at all costs. Pursue righteousness like your life depended on it. Proverbs 4:23-27 uses a great phrase...vigilance. The dictionary says that being vigilant means to "keep careful watch." I pray that you guys would be vigilant in all things so that you can stand next to your bride one day and say, "honey, I fought for you." And boy will it will be a sweet sweet joy when that day comes. And I will be hollering for you in the back!
8) You are a leader right now- Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I am so encouraged by some of the actions of the guys in my small group on a weekly basis. This morning I saw one of our guys with a Kaleidoscope T Shirt on, faithfully serving our special needs body in the Church. What a great way to lead out as a freshman!
You guys can encourage and lead other people right now as freshman in high school and make a HUGE impact for Christ! 1st Timothy 4:12 challenges the modern day thinking that you are too young, and urges young leaders to get after it! Today is the day!
9) Relationships with girls are temporary, but a relationship with Christ is forever. One of the biggest struggles in my life came from not leading girls well in relationships. I would date a girl for 6 months, and dump her after I got bored. It was terrible! I wish I could go back and tell each girl that high school Matt was an absolute idiot and ask for their forgiveness. Given another opportunity, I would not date in high school. Sounds crazy, right? I was not mature enough to recognize that there was still a work to be done in me before I was ready to date.
Following Christ is crazy in the world's eyes. I would advise you to not start dating until you are ready to marry. It will eliminate the baggage and burden that I have to carry the rest of my life. Matthew 6 tells us to "seek the Kingdom first and His righteousness". That's my prayer for you, that you would seek the Lord over everything else, including relationships.
10) You can find freedom from pornography, today. As young men, you will struggle with sexual sin. Don't try to pretend like you are an exception to the rule. So what should you do? 1st John 1:8-9 tells us that no one is perfect, and as believers we are called to confess our sins. That's why we have small group, so that sinful men can hold each other accountable and find freedom in our addictions.
I had a porn addiction that I didn't want to admit to during all of my high school and most of my college years. It wasn't until I was honest with myself and honest with other men that I found freedom.
11) Don't say yes to everything, be impactful in a few key areas. One of the biggest mistakes I made in high school was trying to do everything. Church, sports, student council, ministries, you name it and I was there! I remember walking out of the parking lot my Senior year just drained. I had nothing left because I was too stretched thin.
My challenge- find a few things and do them well instead of a lot of things half well. Colossians 3:23 reminds us to do everything for the Lord and not for us. So instead of building your resume, do a few things really well to serve the King!
12) Look up to the people who have done life well and follow in their example. Don't be afraid to come up to them and ask for their wisdom and insight. Hebrews 13:7 calls for us to remember our leaders and imitate their lives. One of the reasons why I am serving as a youth leader is because of 2 faithful leaders who showed me what doing life well looked like. Imitating their life has blessed me beyond my years. Find a teacher, coach, parent, or someone you look up to and follow what they do.
13) No one will remember your accomplishments, but they will remember your character. High School can be so wrapped up in trivial things. Here's a challenge: Go ask your parents or friends parents who their high school homecoming king/queen or prom queen/king was. 99/100 times, they will have no idea! What will people remember? They remember men and women who treated others well, who lived out their faith, and set an example for others.
Micah 6:8 is a great starting place to think about how to do that. Live humbly and serve others! There was a guy in college named Jake that I didn't know well, but I do know he treated others with respect and kindness. And Jake's impact has never left me. I urge you to live the same way as my friend Jake!
14) You are not alone. Isaiah 41:10 promises this to us, that the Lord is with us, strengthens us, and upholds us with His righteous right hand. Remember this when you are struggling, and remember that you have family, friends, and a small group who wants to walk through life with you. Life is not meant to be lived alone, it is meant for community.
15) God's not trying to rip you off, He's trying to set you free. This is the hardest lesson I had to learn. Especially with relationships with girls and pornography. I remember telling God, "If I can't experience the sexual pleasures you created, are you really a good God?" I wrestled with that.
But God in his kindness and several faithful men kept reminding me, Hold Fast, and Stay True as Navy Seal Clint Bruce reminds us in this video. John 8:36 proclaims that we are free if we are in Christ. The only way to find true freedom, is to commit yourself to the Lord and seek Him daily.
A true abundant relationship with God is way more satisfying that anything in this world. As I have continued to walk with the Lord, I have found this lesson to be even more true as the years pass. If you can set this thought deep down in your heart, brother it will go well with you!
I am praying for you freshman men and all young men, that you would be men who step up, speak out, stand firm, stay humble, and serve the King. Would you pray with me?
Let's GO, church!
Matt
