Greetings Reader!
I’ve spent seven long years at this High School (which doesn’t really make me that old at all) known as Lincoln Lutheran. Even if I don’t know everything, I do have my own two cents about high school, and really life in general that those seven years have taught me. So listen to me and take heed of my words, or shrug it off as the rambling of a slightly older person, it’s up to you.
If I’ve learned anything at Lincoln Lutheran, I’ve learned that making time for friends is one of the most important things you can do. There are things I won’t disclose, but suffice it to say that I shrugged mine off for almost two whole years, and I really did miss a lot. I’ve made up like crazy senior year, but it’s not quite the same as if I’d been there the whole time. I’m not saying quit school and work and all responsibility, but understand that all those things are meaningless without human connection.
The most important lesson I’ve learned here, though, is how important faith is and how Christ really is at the center of everything, as He should be. As I’d imagine you are, I was raised in a Christian household, so it was always a part of me, but never something I owned. But after the fantastic tutelage of some very fine Christian teachers, I realized just how important faith is. So cling on to yours, own it, and embrace your relationship with your God who loves you.
Those last two paragraphs were a bit heavy (maybe they weren’t for you, I don’t know, I’m not you). So let’s lighten things up a bit with everyone’s favorite: aphorisms, which is a word I learned just now as I’m writing this, which means, and I quote, “a pithy observation that contains a general truth”. Pithy? Anyways, I’m supposed to come up with three, so here goes. This one I came up with a little while back but it’s always held true to me and it goes “Humans: can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em”. In other words, the greatest and worst things about our existence as humans are other humans. So, knowing that, seek out human connection and engagement. It might hurt or be scary, but it’s just as likely to be fun and enjoyable.
The next goes like this “set yourself up for success”. This one isn’t the most original, but it’s one that is very important to me. Too often I stayed up until 3 A.M. with a (coffee fueled) speech the next day, or waited too long to start a paper (again, more coffee) that was finished after midnight. High school isn’t hard, but it can be if you make it hard on yourself, so just give yourself a chance.
It’s time for the third one (I can’t believe I already came up with two), and it goes “it might seem like the biggest deal now, but give it three years (or even three hours) and it won’t be”. That’s right, parentheses in my aphorism. I like parentheses, they’re my thing. Anyways, this one also has held to be true, at least for me. I can promise you I’ve done something stupid or embarrassing every day since I’ve been in 6th grade, but guess what: not a single one of my friends or even me could tell you 98% percent of them. Sure, there are a few memorable ones, but when you rip your jeans or misspeak in class, nobody really cares, so don’t sweat it.
The last thing that I’d like to leave you with is a scripture passage that I like. John 15:1-5 reads, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” For me, this passage goes back to what I told you earlier: Keep Christ at the center. It tells us that apart from Christ we can do nothing, which is so true. Sure we can do things, but since they were done apart from Christ they are by nature, sin. Take it from me, life is a whole lot better when it’s done with Christ at the center. I promise you that.
I’ve done the math, and I’ve spent a little over 380 full 24-hour days at Lincoln Lutheran, not including sports and practices and all that. Through all that time I’m sure I’ve experienced every emotion under the sun and been in about every situation a high schooler could be in. So hopefully, my experience and wisdom (if one could call it that) can help your seven years be as good as the possibly can be.
Best of luck; you’ve got this,
Nolan Schad
Nolan Schad 