1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways.
As a
child, I was what some would call a “nerd”. I was sheltered by my mom until age
14 when I left the ground running from being tired of being bullied. I have to
admit, in those former years, everything besides the bullying was sweet. I
would dance, play with my Barbie dolls and cabbage patch dolls, have tea parties,
and watch scary movies that my older cousin, Brandon (more like my brother),
hated. Though my mom let me watch Child’s Play and Freddy Kruger, I was still a
child. Our curfew was 7 pm (when the sun went down), and when Fox news would say
“It’s 7 PM, do you know where your children are?”. I will never forget those
days, the good times.
Flash
forward to middle school, I was 14 years old and in the 8th grade
when this 7th grader poured milk on me from outside of the school
bus window. I was sitting on the school bus, minding my own business, and then I
see her tipping over a small carton of milk from outside into the window where
I was sitting. The milk ran down my shoulders as the school bus pulled off.
Some kids gasped, and some kids laughed. Meanwhile, I was humiliated. I made a
vow to myself that day, that I would no longer be treated like that.
When I went to high school, I was a new girl.
By 9th
grade, It wasn’t too long until I started hanging with the “cool kids". I
was smoking cigarettes, wearing tight clothes, skipping class, and learning to
inhale marijuana (even though my weak mind and strong Spirit couldn’t handle it).
I would get quiet and nervous when I smoked, but I liked the temporary escape
away from the pain replaced by laughs. The cool kids at times would make jokes about
my nervousness and quietness, but I was the least of their worries. They had
other things to worry about (sex, gang participation, staying out of jail). They didn’t really have too much time to laugh and clown me. I hung out with
these kids until the beginning of 11th grade when they switched my
school up and separated it into four schools. I can reflect now and see that
this was God’s protection.
The crowd I hung out with also got smaller as some kids, dropped out of school, got arrested, had kids had other focus, and even some passed away ☹. As I witnessed this, alongside God's discipline(talk about Jonah and the fish), I straightened up. For my last two years in high school, I made Honor Roll every semester. I then went on to college and made the Dean’s List throughout most of my undergraduate term.
Kids,
what I want you to know and understand from this message is “Being a cool kid,
costs”. It can get you into trouble, incarcerated, addicted to drugs, and even face
death. The term “nerd” is not nice, and being bullied is NEVER acceptable;
however, trying to fit in also won’t get you anywhere. If you are
bullied, make sure to tell someone. Your life is very important, and this is unacceptable. Be yourself and love yourself. Seek friends
that make you smile and compliment you. Friends that tell you to go after your dreams. The “Cool” life isn’t always what it
seems.
Be
Encouraged,
Noelani
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