How to Adapt to New Seasons Well
1 Corinthians 13:11
If you can start your high school life/college career/new career off strong, take a stand and live for Jesus, then you can build for yourself a reputation that will go with you through life.
The word child is a word that could mean someone under 18, or it could mean someone under 12. This is a transitional period in your life. Many people don’t transition well. They choose to behave, talk and reason in an immature way.
Paul is ok with a child acting like a child. Paul is not okay with an adult acting like a child. When you are small, things are different. As a child, my elementary school seemed really huge. But I recently went back there and walked around the school. And the campus is actually pretty small. As I grew up, that school became smaller to me.
Here are some things to consider in moving toward becoming an adult. These are things to focus on when it comes to staying faithful to the Lord during new seasons of life.
1. Initial thoughts and practical things you can begin doing now:
Begin each day asking God for favor among teachers and peers.
Fight entitlement
Embrace/seek responsibility
Be teachable/don’t be a know-it-all
Be kind to everyone, not just people you want to impress.
Learn from leaders, and emulate. (Men and women)
2. Think forward, not just in the here and now.
Children are great at thinking about instant gratification.
Children are overwhelmed/ are troubled when comprehending the distant future.
3. Be intentional, not random.
Be intentional in your walk with the Lord, and your pursuit of holiness.
Be intentional in your personal relationships.
Be intentional in developing adult relationships and conversations.
3a. Being intentional in your walk with the Lord, and your pursuit of holiness.
Feed your mind an OVERWHELMING volume of good things IE: powerful things. This includes Scripture, music, books, stories and blogs. Podcasts are a good source too.
Limit or budget the amount of time you will spend on social media.
Limit the number of social media outlets.
Keep your head down and grind it out.
3b. Be intentional in your personal relationships.
Philippians 2:1-5
Care for others (choose to care)
Act on your choice to care.
Discern the needs of others (pay attention to other people — I always like the story of David’s mighty men in the cave of Adullam, going to get him a drink of water from Bethlehem’s well.)
Have an “it’s not about me” attitude. Too many young people are self-absorbed.
Go out of your way for your personal relationships
3c. Be intentional in developing adult relationships and conversation.
Learn to communicate well. (When I was a child, I spoke like a child.)
Eye contact.
Grow your vocabulary.
STOP CUSSING. It isn’t really cool. Too many Christians talk filthy (Ephesians 4:29)
Engagement. Learn to confidently walk up to adults like teachers, pastors, coaches and others and engage them in conversation.
LISTEN MORE THAN YOU TALK.
4. Have a realistic view of yourself.
Not defeated and beat down.
Not conceited and puffed up.
The Bible says I am a child of God, adopted and given a new name and a new identity and I am loved by God.
Each one of us has a personality, gifts, emotions and we are affected by things in our lives that have influenced us as we have grown from childhood. These are things God will use in our lives, but they are not the ultimate reality for us. Your identity or what defines you will be determined by something of this world, or it will be determined by Jesus.
In short, your strengths and weaknesses run close.
5. Learn from others
1 Corinthians 11:1
6. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Know WHOSE you are, and you will know WHO you are.