In high school, one of my best friends pressured me to do things I didn’t exactly want to do—except that I wanted to fit in. Not only did I want to fit in, I wanted to be popular.

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)

Then I went to a church camp and experienced spiritual highs I had never known before. I also found a friend, my best friend ever. Never had I thought that someone I could not see or touch would be my best friend, but I knew that he would always be there for me and that I could tell him everything.

Sometimes I wonder where I would be without him: Would I be in rehab? Would I be fitting in with the rest of the crowd? I would not exchange my friendship with Jesus for anything.

—Stacie Garrett, 16

REFLECT: Knowing who you are and keeping your identity intact is difficult. When I was in high school, I had an idea who my parents wanted me to be and who my friends wanted me to be, but I didn’t have a clear idea of who I wanted to be. I was always wearing a mask. I was a chameleon, changing colors because I thought that’s what it took to survive. Who are you—really? Be the person God wants you to be.

—Wesley Overhults