Be A Rebel #2: Teen Creed

     So I went to a local religious store to find my cousin a gift for her confirmation. And I saw this bookmark with an awesome poem on it. I bought one for her and one for myself. Here's the poem.

Teen Creed

~ * ~

Don't let your parents down,

They brought you up.

Be humble enough to obey,

You may give orders someday.

Choose companions with care,

You become what they are.

Guard your thoughts,

What you think, you are.

Choose only a date

Who would make a good mate.

Be master of your habits,

Or they will master you.

Don't be a show off when you drive,

Drive with safety and arrive.

Don't let the crowd pressure you,

Stand for something or you'll fall for anything.

   
     So, in this post, I'm going to analyze this poem stanza by stanza.

Don't let your parents down,

They brought you up.

     This can relate back to the first Rebel post. Teenagers think that they can behave "moody" and get let off the hook because everyone thinks that's how a teenager is. How is this letting your parents down? Don't you think that they're disappointed that you act like the world wants you to? Don't you think that they want you to be rebels? It disappoints them because they expect so much more of you. And they do because they know that you are capable of it. 

Be humble enough to obey,

You may give orders someday. 

     It doesn't matter if you're disobeying your parents, teachers, grandparents, or boss, it's the same thing. Have you heard the saying, "Do to others what you would have them do to you"? It's the golden rule, no? Well, imagine that you are that parent, teacher, boss, don't you want your charges to obey you? Then follow the golden rule, but the obedience version. 

Choose companions with care,

You become what they are.

      Have you ever noticed that if you hang out with a certain friend, you start acting sorta like they do? It's true. That's why you should choose friends that have a good influence on your life. And be the reciprocal of that. Be a good influence on your friends. You never know who might need it. 

Guard your thoughts,

What you think, you are.

     This is just like hanging out with friends. If you listen to a certain genre of music, watch a certain type of movies, or read a certain category of books, your actions will look more like the ones those things promote. This is especially true for your eyes. My mom always tells me to "guard my eyes". There must be a certain reason for that if she tells me all the time. 

Choose only a date,

Who would make a good mate.

      Now, I have never been on a date, so this one is a little hard for me. But, this is what I can grasp. If there is this person that asks you out on a date, and you know that said person isn't the best, but you accept just 'cause, what do you think is going to happen? This is something that you should think when you go out on a date, "Don't do what you don't want your future spouse doing." Do you want your future spouse to get into a lot of bad things? Or do you want a spouse that fought for his chastity? A spouse that prepared himself to be an excellent husband or wife and parent? Think about it. 

Be a master of your habits,

Or they will master you.

     This is why forming good habits is so important. And it's also why breaking bad one is so hard. A habit once formed is hard to break. So let's form good habits. Habits that will help - and not hinder -  your life.

Don't be a show off when you drive,

Drive with safety and arrive.

     I can't drive. And the meaning of this one is fairly obvious. Don't be a reckless driver. Don't let your life go to waste because of one day that you failed to follow the rules of the road and it ended very badly.

Don't let the crowd pressure you, 

Stand for something or you'll fall for anything.

     This is the same principle as the one about friends. Don't be afraid to be that person that stands outside of the group because you won't fall to peer pressure and do something that you know you'll regret. 

     So, what did y'all think? Please let me know if you think of anything else to add. And please check back, I have more coming :D

Be A Rebel, #1; What A Rebel Is

     It's a typical stereotype. The teenager is in a "rebellious" stage. You see it on the TV often enough. The teenager is obsessed with their phone and thinks he knows better than his parents. The kid is disrespectful towards his parents and teachers, and, as said before, is glued to his screen.

    And yet, every parent is told that their teen will "Go through that stage". As a teenage girl myself, I find that stereotype demeaning and just not true. I'm not glued to my phone (I don't have one), I try and give my parents all the respect in the world, and I definitely am not going through what our culture calls "A rebellious stage".
 
    But, in a way, I do want to rebel. I want to rebel against the standards our culture has set for me. I don't want to be like every other teenage girl who can't get over the latest teen sensation. I don't want to be glued to a screen and not notice God's beautiful world. I don't want a boyfriend. And I certainly don't want to rebel against my parents.

     So, is it me, or do is our world telling us to rebel against the wrong things? And why are so many teens going along with it? Why don't we show the world that not all teenagers are self-centered emo's that don't care about anything except for themselves?

     And that, my dear friends, is what a rebel is. We need to break through the standards. We need to show the world that we care!

     But, if you're still noot sure what in the world I'm talking about, I will give you a great example.

     Rachel Joy Scott.

     She is the perfect example of a rebel. She didn't care if she was the standout, she was confident in her faith and not afraid to share it. She wanted to rebel against the modern culture.

     Her most popular quote is:

   

     Wow. Inspiring huh? That is what a rebel is. To rebel against the modern culture, and start a chain reaction of compassion.

     And so, my friends, will you accept Rachel's challenge? Will you be a rebel? I hope so.