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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Christian? Teen? I'm Both


Yes, I'm a Christian. Yes, I'm a teenage girl. So what? That doesn't mean I have to be the stereotypical "shove Jesus down everyone's throat while judging them behind their backs and simultaneously being a hypocrite" Christian. Honestly? Those "Christians" bug me too.

It also doesn’t mean I have to hide my Christianity and become the stereotypical “girls gone wild” teen either.

Truth? Being a Christian teen isn’t easy. I don’t think it ever was. My friends are on one side inviting me to do things I don’t want to do as a Christian. My mom tells me things I should do as a Christian on the other. And my TV is in front of me, showing things I wish I could do, but shouldn’t, as a Christian.

Sound familiar?

What does that mean? I can’t have any fun or fit in as a Christian? Do I have to compromise my Christian values to be what society wants me to be?

Eventually I realized, no, not at all.

All I had to do was find that boundary. As a Christian, what do I know I want to do? What do I know I don’t want to do? I want to have fun and go out with my friends, but I don’t want to get drunk. I want to go to church, read the Bible and pray, but I don’t want to be judged for it.

Where does that leave me? Trying to be the best Christian I can be as a teenage girl in today’s society.

As a teen girl, society expects me to party and have a hangover every Thirsty Thursday. Society expects me to have sex with every guy I date. Society expects me to wear slutty clothes and too much makeup. Society expects me to lie to my parents and sneak out at night. Society expects me to be a rude, immature, teen girl with low self-esteem. Society expects me to be the stereotypical teen girl.

But I’m not. I don’t want to be.

On the flip side, as a Christian, society expects me to shove Jesus down people’s throats to the point where I’ll be hated by anyone who has a different opinion than me. Society expects me to judge others when they act “un-Christian.” Society expects me to be a hypocrite and act “un-Christian” myself while continuing to judge others. Society expects me to pretend to be this fake perfect, holy saint. Society expects me to be the stereotypical Christian.

But I’m not. I don’t want to be.

There’s this balance between what I personally feel it means to be a teenage girl, as well as a Christian. I don’t have to fit in to either stereotype if I don’t want to. I need to find that balance that I feel comfortable with.

So, yes, I’m Christian, but I’m also a teenage girl. So what? Does that mean I have to choose one or the other?

Actually, I choose to be both.

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