-John 15:12
Many people know what it is like to not fit in and often wonder why they don't. I worry about that constantly, and being a girl in high school does not help my circumstances. Many girls are very catty with each other and I believe girls are very competitive with each other. We constantly judge other girls on their appearance to see if we are "better" than them. We judge each others outfits, the way their hair looks, the way they walk, who they date, etc. Anything, you name it, we judge it.
So, fitting in is a lot harder than you think because you are constantly being judged. It is something I worry about everyday! I worry about if my hair looks okay, if my outfit does, if my breath smells good, what my make up looks like, how I come across to other people, and the list goes on. At times I feel like I do not fit in and ask myself "what did I do, to make them not like me?" Or "Why don't I fit in?" Why is it that the human spirit craves for acceptance?
“Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like”
― Will Smith
In my opinion, this quote by Will Smith captures how most teenager spend their money. (In my opinion, and you know why? Because I find myself doing the exact same thing!) We buy clothes and items we don't need or maybe event sometimes want in order to impress people who don't actually like you for who you are. We buy excessive amounts of clothes that are on trend, because we feel like that is the only way to be accepted. Clothes do not make you up, but as a teenager I still do not fully understand that.
At times I feel totally lost and wonder what I am doing wrong? Is it because I am not tall enough, short enough, skinny enough, rich enough, pretty enough, funny enough, flawless enough? And much, much more. This burden is on many teenagers' shoulders just because they want to fit in and be accepted. A lot of times I do not feel like I fit in because a girl will make a few snide comments even though they do something totally outrageous after me. There is no scientific formula for "fitting in."I know that you have to accept yourself for who you are, but when others don't accept you, you can't help think that something is wrong with you. It seems as if we act like the girls from "Mean Girls." Unfortunately, we are not that far from Regina Geroge's behavior. Some girls might even be worse...
Girls make fun of other girls, to make them feel like they are more "superior" and once you do that others might agree with you and it makes you not the "weird" one. A lot of times I do this and I know it is not right. This gives me a time to reflect on my actions and allows me to "think before I speak." If we all want to be accepted, then what is the point of making someone else feel ostracized? I know it isn't as simple as that, but if it were then no one would have to feel the need to kill themselves.
Even though at times I feel like I don't fit in, I remind myself that this is just High School. I do not need to get caught up in fitting in, because I am here to get an education. (Even though having friends makes school bearable) I need to keep in mind that the right people will accept me for who I am, not what I am trying to be.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:17
So whether you are "nerdy" or "popular," everyone wants to fit in. Please keep that in mind before you try to make someone else feel bad about themselves.
