I once knew an incredibly stressed out teenager.  He always over-thought every situation and had the incredible ability to transform any small problem into a pernicious puzzle, if only in his mind. Every once in awhile he would go into his room and spend hours trying to process everything that was happening to him and find a way to make sense of the chaos, half of which was of his own creation.

     As he went through his four years he found more and more activities to get involved in and therefore more to think about.  The programs he joined inherently took more of his time than he ever would have thought, but he still found a way to give them more, until he would struggle to find a single night away from all of the pressures and work involved with everything. He quickly became the busiest member of his small family, and hardly even had time for them.

     Whenever I took the time I barely had to examine this kid, I never could quite figure out how I felt about him.  On the one hand I saw his glaring faults and how his complication of even the most trivial matters not only affected him, but the others around him. But on the other hand I knew he was trying not only to get involved with everything going on around him, but to find the truth and purpose in everything he did.

     My heart went out to the kid. He tried to be good, and even more so he tried to find out what good was. His greatest fear was that he would not understand his own life. But it was from this fear that he taught me one of the greatest lessons I will ever learn…

     I think the climax of high school comes when we realize it is not an independent and controlled segment of our lives, separated from all of the years we know will actually be important by the barriers of freshman and senior year. It is all part of a greater plan than we know.  And as much as my friend wanted to understand everything in his life, he realized that ultimately we must relinquish our life and understanding to Him who gave us the gift of life and trust that He will lead us to the purpose we seek.

     I know that once graduation passes, my relationship with this kid will change. But I hope to see him throughout the rest of my life, finding his true purpose and remembering everything and everyone that brought him there.