Dear rising freshman,
If a senior hits u up… It’s because he respects u and ur great personality!
Recently I came across this tweet, retweeted by a few students that I follow.
While I KNOW the idea behind it was humor, for some reason it really stuck with me. Here is why… behind this “joke” is a great lie and a great evil.
This year, 14 year old freshman young ladies will walk into high schools everywhere wide eyed, scared, intimidated and just hoping to fit in. Along the way, 18 year old men with beards who are seniors will see these insecure young ladies and prey on them. They will say things and do things in an attempt to make them “feel special.” Here is the problem, most of these “men” are not men at all, they are wolves preying on the meek and weak. These wolves do not want to be your friend and don’t love your personality rather – they just want one thing from you. You know what it is… Hint, it does not include clothing.
To my 9th grade ladies, let me offer some wisdom in how to handle this…
- Pray and ask the Lord to protect you, each morning BEFORE you walk in the school.
- Maintain your time with the Lord, even after school starts.
- Stick with your people, stay with those you know and grew up with
- DON’T LISTEN TO YOUR HEART. The scriptures say the heart is wicked and deceitful, so don’t listen to it or follow it or you will end up where you do not want to be.
- Avoid riding in cars alone with older boys.
- Avoid riding in cars alone with random boys.
- Avoind riding in cars alone with boys.
- See if he is also flirting with other girls, most of the time these “wolves” prey on more than just 1 girl at a time. If he will flirt with anyone, he doesn’t care about you.
- Set some boundaries, things like: I won’t date anyone the first 6 months of high school. I won’t date anyone who is more than 2 years older than me. I won’t ride alone with boys, etc…
- Gain wisdom from those you respect and those who love you. Ask what do they think of so and so…
- Be slow and cautious to give out your number, snap, approval for social media requests…
- Get/Have accountability with your phone with a close friend that loves the Lord, let them see what you send and who you follow.
- Have in mind what you are looking for in a man, and don’t give in.
- Ask for your parents help, your student pastors help, your older siblings help.
- Ask older Godly dudes for wisdom and or help.
Philippians 4:8-9
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, thing about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Joshua Glymph is the High School Pastor at Fruit Cove Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL. He is a 13-year ministry veteran, the husband to Beth, Daddy to Hannah, Micah, and Ezra, and a football loving, UGA fan.
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