How to stay close to God in high school // my thoughts on spirituality

"Have you ever wondered if we're missing it? The God of the universe - creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss." -Francis Chan

WOW. When I read that quote, I felt like I was entering into an entirely different stratosphere of thought.

I mean, how could we ever feel like enduring a couple hours of Sunday school & trying to be a decent person will ever equate to all that Christ has done for us? It would take a thousand lifetimes of selfless service & then some to ever try to repay God for this planet and for the air we're breathing right now.

Every happy moment that I've ever experienced & will ever experience is because of Jesus Christ and because of my religion. And what do I do? I join church choir and try not to cut people off while driving.

Hey guys. That was sort of a heavy intro, but I intend to get pretty heavy throughout the course of this article. And when I say "heavy" I mean this isn't a post about my favorite member of Big Time Rush (although, that would be an EXCELLENT article to write in the future. It's Logan, btw.)

Okay, so, I'm just going to get a few things out of the way FIRST before I start preaching:

1. This is primarily an article directed towards Christians. Feel free and read this if you're muslim, buddhist or atheist, that's tooootally perfect & encouraged, but I will be speaking generally about Jesus Christ. If you believe in Christ, or have a desire to believe in Him, hopefully you can draw some strength & insight from this article.

2. I don't really know what I'm talking about. I'm not Mother Theresa. I am not a church leader or monk or any of those things. I don't even know if I meet the qualifications of a 'good person' half of the time. I don't think I am better than anyone else because of my religion or because of anything. I do not feel superior to anyone and I hope you all understand that.

3. I AM NOT PERFECT. Oh my gosh, I feel like this is a given but drill this into your brain while you're reading this. I have done things that I am not proud of. I've made a lot of mistakes that probably don't qualify me to be on the list of Charitable Bible Wielding Southern Churchgoers. Seriously, I screw up all the time. This is simply my perspective, and please look at it through the lens of someone who is broken and needs Jesus Christ, not someone who thinks they have it all figured out.

Have you ever felt like you're a terrible person?

I have felt that way & do feel that way a lot of days. I constantly feel like I could be kinder, more genuine, more honest, and an overall better person who contributes positivity to the planet. Sometimes I get so stuck inside my head that I'm blindsided to the needs of others and what's ACTUALLY going on around me. I get so distracted by super dumb & trivial & temporary stuff and forget to be a quote on quote "good christian." (which, btw, I hate the term 'good christian' because unless you're God, who are you to deem and un-deem someone as a 'good christian'? This really bothers me.)

On top of selfishness, it's really hard to stay close to Christ when you 1) have SO much going on, 2) are bombarded by a million different opinions, 3) are growing up in a generation that's constantly judging you. Things can get super confusing, and if you don't continue to be consistent with your faith, it will slip away.

The amazing thing about faith & Christianity is that it's One Size Fits All (its for EVERYONE) and it's always there for you. If you stray, or feel like your relationship with God is distant or nonexistent, you are not a lost cause.

There are no lost causes. There's no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still.

So, here's the big question; how do we avoid feeling like we're terrible people? How do we stay consistently devoted to our faith (whether that faith be baptist, methodist, mormon, unaffiliated or undecided- how do we stay committed?)

LOVE people as He loved // Do not JUDGE

When examining Christ's life through story and scripture, the thing that's the most prominent to me is how he loved people. He honestly, unconditionally, fully, and selflessly LOVED people. He listened to them, saved them, and healed them in every way. But the thing is, He didn't have exceptions. He didn't turn away the adulterous woman; he didn't turn away from the begging and homeless. Christ loved people no matter the background, situation, faith, or status.

I think that people are the BEST version of themselves when they are loving others or feel loved. Christ dedicated his entire LIFE to loving. And, if the goal of Christianity is to lead our lives the way Christ did, this must mean that we must start loving others like He did.

One of the most HYPOCRITICAL things about some of my peers (& myself at times) is our attitude of selective love.

They'll judge others, saying "Oh, she's such a whore." or "He's a pothead." or an infinite number of terrible things, which is absolutely the OPPOSITE of what Christ did!! Christ didn't find the most virtuous and angelic people in town and ONLY chill with them. He hung out with 'hardcore' sinners!!! How on EARTH are people with different standards than you ever going to learn to change if you write them off and judge them? I genuinely believe that we need to be kind and loving to ALL people, from ALL walks of life, because at the end of the day, we are the same species of human being. We were all made by the same Heavenly Father and need to realize each other's divine potential instead of looking down on people just because they sin differently than you.

In my experience, life is about a million times better when you see people as they really are. When you turn your attention outward, and notice small things about people and truly make an effort to ask them how they REALLY are, I believe that's true Christianity. Loving others will help you grow closer to the people around you and God. I promise you that. Make en effort to love other people, and I promise you, your life will change.

Other than learning to love ALL human beings (which is an ongoing battle for me), I honestly feel the closest to God when I'm killin' the basics. You all know them; go to church as often as you can. Read the scriptures. Pay attention in Sunday School. Pray everyday & consistently. These are all the cliches- but the cliches are cliches for a REASON. Forgetting the basics will make your life a whole lot more difficult. \

In the grand scheme of things, Christianity really does not ask a lot of us. Go attend your church meetings, try to study from the scriptures, and develop a relationship of prayer. Compared to what CHRIST has done for us? Compared to dying for us & paying for all of our sins? We are asked to do SO LITTLE.

& lastly, I think part of staying close to Christ in high school has everything to do with how you view yourself. God made you perfectly & wonderfully & fearlessly. There is no flaw in you. You must must MUST realize your divine potential as a son and daughter of God to fully live this life the way He wants you to. Self worth is something so difficult to attain- but you should know that you were BORN enough. You don't have to change for others. God looks on your heart.

Samuel 16:7::: The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart.

If you feel lost, or not worthy enough for church, you should know that::

Church is not a club for saints. It is a hospital for sinners.

I genuinely love my church with my entire soul. It gives me peace. It makes me so happy & I want everyone I know to be able to experience the joy of genuinely feeling Christ's love. I feel so overwhelmingly fortunate to know that my life DOES have meaning. I feel so blessed to live in a place where I can practice my religion without bounds & am trying to never take that for granted.

For all of you reading- I love you. I love you so much. Your life has meaning & purpose & power. You were born at this time for a reason. You are CAPABLE & beautiful & enough. There is always a way back.

All my love, Skylar.

If you want to know more about my beliefs & the church that has my heart, go to mormon.org