Ever feel “peer pressure” to “FIT IN” with the crowd? You are not alone! The pressure that is out there to conform today is a real issue among teenagers. Everyone likes to feel as though they belong, and often times this desire leads to making bad choices. Ever do something that you were uncomfortable with, but did it anyway because you thought it was what others wanted you to do? Afterwards how did this make you feel? Most of the time, you struggle with guilty feelings of having done something you would not have done on your own, without someone else pressuring you to do so.
The best way to overcome peer pressure is to make a decision to follow Jesus. When you truly make a decision to follow Jesus, you always have someone on your side, you are never alone. You do not have to face the pressure on your own. Use Jesus as your guide. When you know how Jesus would act in a situation, then you know what to do, regardless of what others might be telling you.
When you decide that being “accepted” by others is not worth risking your self- respect, then you will lean on Jesus to help you resist the peer pressure. True acceptance is being true to your own values, not those others are trying to pressure you into. Jesus accepts you just as you are. You do not have to prove that you are worthy of his acceptance. When others start to pressure you, that should be a sign that they are truly not accepting you, do not be deceived that by doing what they want you to do they will accept you, actually, they are disrespecting you. Jesus loves you just as you are and you are always accepted by him. Choose to be accepted by the best…Jesus!

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts/comments regarding popularity. Please share how this article relates to your life, feel free to ask questions and let’s dialogue (or, “talk”) together around God’s principles.

I think it only appropriate to talk about Thankfulness this time of year.  The holiday season is upon us, Thanksgiving only a week away.  Growing up in the world as it is today is a scary place for a lot of teenagers.  It seems like the whole world is focused on the economy and what difficult times we are in.

I want to encourage you, to have an “attitude of gratitude”, yes even in the mist of these tough times.  You may be thinking: “You don’t know how bad things are in my life.”  Read the rest of this entry »

I have often heard from teenage girls that they wish they could just get a total…”MAKEOVER!” The idea that life would be better if you had different make up, a new hairdo, new clothes, and so on. These types of makeovers concentrate on the outward appearance, all these things are subject to change, always promising to satisfy, but never truly delivering the ultimate feeling you were looking for. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity! How important is it for teenage girls to be popular? To what extent are you willing to go to become part of the “in-group”? Are you willing to compromise your values just to say you are friends with a certain crowd? Why is this worth discussing you may think, but of course everyone wants to be accepted. I want to challenge you to evaluate what your personal definition of popularity is. Let’s look at the life of Jesus…Jesus was certainly sought after , but not necessarily with the “popular groups” of that day. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever felt depressed? Many teenage girls have at some point expressed that they have felt depressed. By depressed I mean, great sadness, feeling like no one cares about them, feeling as if they are not important. Well, I have good news for you today! You do not have to be depressed anymore! You may be thinking: “easy for you to say”, you do not realize what is happening in my life! I may not know exactly what is happening in your life but I do know that God loves you. Read the rest of this entry »

Most teenage girls that I talk with are unhappy with who they are. They identify their happiness by how they look, how many friends they have, whether or not they have a boyfriend how well they are doing in school or if they qualify for the cheerleading squad. There are so many reasons to decide you do not like yourself if you are focused on exterior things or people to make you happy. True happiness comes from the inside. Read the rest of this entry »