In this day and age, we feel many pressures from friends, social media, and popular culture; it’s hard to stay grounded in your morals.
High school is full of influences, good and evil, it’s essential to choose to follow the right people and make the right friends. I’ve definitely have given in to pressure to say and do the wrong things that went against who I am. It’s hard to stay true to who we are when others make us feel unworthy and unloved, we try so hard to gain acceptance from friends, family, and even people we don’t even like.
School and social media show us people who look perfect and make us feel like we have to change to be like them; we play the comparison game and feel like we aren’t enough.
Pure pressure is a real thing, that is hard to fight. Stress to fit in and be cool on social media, at school, work, really anywhere can make say and do things that we know are wrong and aren’t true to our character.
Nothing Can Separate Us From Him!
One thing that can help us combat these influence is God himself, Jesus came to earth and felt the pressures and temptations that we do and knows what it is like. No matter what is going on in our lives, God loves us, and we don’t have to change to be accepted by him. I really like the verse Romans 8:39 which says “nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No matter what tensions are going on in our lives, nothing can separate us from his love and acceptance.
God also puts the right people in our lives who are going to help put us on the right path and lift us up. I’ve struggled with finding a Christian community that is going to fill me up, but God brought that into my life, and these people help me stay grounded from the wrong impacts in my life. Although I fall and give in to the lies about myself and others, I have people in my life to feed me the truth because we are all made perfectly in God’s image and don’t need to do anything to earn approval.
There are a couple things that help me battle the pressure.
Praying For Wisdom
The first thing is prayer; asking God for strength and wisdom to discern what we should do. James 1:5 says “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him”. When we ask the Lord grants us discernment and guides us in what we should do; he walks with us through all things.
Second is surrounding yourself with people who lift you up and not encourage you to do wrong. It’s hard to find people who pour into us and strengthen us in our beliefs and morals. But it’s essential find a community to keep us strong!
Third I like to journal my thoughts; reading and writing helps me de-stress, and relax from the pressure. Finding what enables you to release from the tension; it’s essential to have time by yourself to de-stress.
Surround Yourself With The Right People
Lastly, distancing yourself from the wrong people and things, remembering that your sins don’t define you, and keeping those things away can help from giving in to the sin.
I think pure pressure is something that we will always struggle within our society, but I know that I don’t have to change who I am because I will always have God, my family, and good friends to lift me up and not tear me down.
-Gracie
