"This isn't the real world."

"You're too young to have problems."
"This isn't real life."
"You're not ready for the real world yet."


So something that really kind of bothers me is when people say things like the above. Adults seem to have a fondness for saying things like that, and granted, I will probably be saying them when I'm older. But I hope I remember just how hard it was to be a teenager.


Because this is the time of your life when you find out who you are. This is when you're forming the foundation of who you will be for the rest of your life, and it is freaking hard. When we were little, half the girls wanted to be ballerinas, and half the boys wanted to be firefighters. Now that we're growing up, we realize that can't happen for everyone, and that everyone is different. But we hate being different. We want to conform to society and fit in with all the other teens, while also trying to find ourselves.


This obviously doesn't work. Therefore, this is one of the most frustrating times of (gasp!) life! And yes, its real life. Its a part of real life, you have to go through this stage that may seem meaningless later on to become the person who scoffs at the problems of teenagers. Its the real world, for our age! We may not be paying a mortgage or climbing the corporate ladder or trying to feed many hungry mouths, but this is the real world for our age.


One thing that would be helpful for teens to remember would be that they don't have to be like the rest of the world! Broken hearts and drama doesn't have to be "real life". Although, I have little room to talk, have you been reading my blog? So don't follow my example, please please please. Instead, remember Romans 12:2, and transform your life into a thing of beauty, that you won't look back and regret in later years.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)