The Strange Case of the Perpetual Freshman

Johnny could hardly believe it- he was finally in High School. All through his long career in Junior High, he had dreamt of going to South High- the big hallways, the spacious lockers, and the new pride of being one of the “Mustangs”. He’d always thought it would be so cool to be a “High School Student”…But now it was his first day, and as he walked up those stone steps and entered the giant doorway he had to admit, he was a bit scared...

And he should be! South High, like many schools had a “caste system”.

The first thing Johnny noticed was how much smaller he was than most of the guys- and a lot of the girls too. I guess they were right when they said he hadn’t experienced his “growth spurt” yet.

Most things went along pretty well that first day except two- navigating the halls, and lunchtime. Johnny never could have guessed how much the freshmen could get pushed around trying to get into their lockers. And he found a group of older guys that you just had to steer clear of. He called them “Those Hairy Guys”. But the worst was lunchtime. It seemed that freshmen (at least freshmen guys- the cute girls were left alone, pretty much) got continuously pushed to the back of the line. It was almost impossible to get your lunch and eat it too.

Johnny learned a lot that year- how to best avoid dutch rubs, wedgies, swirlies, and other life and dignity threatening experiences. He made up a few rules for himself- keep away from upperclassmen, don’t look them straight in the eye, don’t get in their way in the halls, and if you can’t sneak into lunch a couple minutes early, then go late to the next class. All in all, it wasn’t that bad- if you didn’t mind being a second class citizen.

Now here’s where the strange part starts….

Johnny grew older and eventually became a senior at South High. Although he was now tall and mature looking, he never changed the way he looked at himself. A lot of the girls wanted to date Johnny, but he was too scared to ask them out, and when they asked him out, he thought they were just teasing him. Even though Johnny had all the rights and privileges of a senior, he didn’t seem to know it. He had grown accustomed to shirking around the school, staying out of others’ way in the halls, and letting people cut in line in front of him at lunch. Although he looked just like any other high school senior, he still acted like a freshman! Strange, isn’t it?

For further thought…

What was Johnny’s problem?

How did Johnny’s beliefs about himself influence his behavior?

How does your belief about your identity influence your walk with God?

What is it that you should begin believing about yourself based on the promises of God’s Word?

2 Cor 5:17

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (NIV)

Col 3:1

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. (NIV)