Teens

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1460 Days to Have an Impact
by Dan Blankenship
© 2006 Dan Blankenship


So you’re a high school freshman now. You’re also a Christian. Well guess what? You have the ability to do some things during these 1460 days that can motivate others to join you on a path guided by eternal goals. I missed my window of opportunity, never having realized how much impact my words, actions, and attitude influenced my peers. Do not do the same. God needs your talents, your gifts, and your heart to reach out to others who have never felt the joy of the Lord.

There are so many distractions from fellowship with God during our high school years, it would be foolish to believe what I am asking is going to be easy. High Schools come in all shapes and sizes. Your peers come in all shapes and sizes also. And they also come to school with a wide range of personalities. Some teens have embraced personal responsibility, while some seem to always be locked in immature mode.

As a Christian teenager, there is a little bit more pressure involved in every day high school life; people are quick to label you a hypocrite every time you make an error in judgment. Your actions are under a different kind of microscope. Followers of a supreme being are supposed to be as close as to perfect as possible, or so that is what I’ve been told. So be prepared for character assaults when you make mistakes or let a fellow student down. Bounce back from your own failures; bounce back just as hard from the excessive criticism of your faith that you are bound to run into during your 1460 days in the trenches.

This calling, this challenge to make a difference in the world is one of the most exciting adventures human beings can be a part of. We are not trying to convert our fellowman to a religion. We are returning lost souls to their rightful home. We are not promoting a self-help book that promises results in thirty days. We are offering a faith that cleanses the heart of a man, rerouting that same man on a course to the only true destination he should be seeking: a life approved by the Creator of all that is good.

That girl in your history class who is failing test after test; she needs your help. That boy that never gets to play on the varsity team because he just doesn’t have the plays down the way he should; he needs your help. And that teacher who works so hard but seems to be discouraged; she needs to know you appreciate her commitment.

We must obey God’s commandments concerning our love for others. If we do not, we really don’t deserve to call ourselves representatives of the Lord. We can’t be His hands, we can’t be His feet, if we are not willing to perform the difficult task of embracing an eternal mindset as we walk about in the world.

So, freshman, use your 1460 days wisely. Do not fall into the traps the devil has laid out for you. And remember, you will stumble now and then. You, also, at times, will feel overwhelmed with pressure. Just remember the army of angels and their commander is always at your beckon call.

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