November 2002
by Alyssa Ruzicka
Where is your pressure
point and when do YOU give in to peer pressure??
The holidays are coming up, so I thought I would relate this principal to
turkeys. What can I say about turkeys?!? They are a bunch of fat, ignorant,
but very delicious birds that cannot fly. They are typical "followers", who
conform to their so-called "peers" all the time. As most of your parents
probably tell you, this is a dangerous place to be. So as the turkeys follow
the crowd over and over again, they are slowly taken to their death, the
chopping block. The poor, gullible turkeys soon don't know what is happening to
them until it is too late to change their fate. They then come out
differently. Their life is literally--changed. The turkeys are changed because
of not being able to lead themselves apart from everyone else.
Peer pressure: we all have it, no matter how sheltered OR strong we think we are. Peer pressure is inevitable; we ALL have to deal with it, no matter the outcome. But, you can handle peer pressure in a positive way if you know when your pressure point is. Your pressure point is when you are forced to make a decision, if you are in or out, right or wrong. If you know when that is, (and with what people, what environment), then you can win.
When you think about it, peer pressure is a BIG deal. So think about how you want to live your life for a moment. Okay, this determines what kind of peer pressure to adhere to, and what kind of peer pressure to absolutely avoid. Because, in a way, you want peer pressure. Let me explain. With friends you can trust whole-heartedly, you want them to pressure you into situations that help you grow-- positive peer pressure. Negative peer pressure is a little different. This is the kind that you don't always want. It puts you in tough situations, and presses you to go the wrong direction, making you feel guilty for doing the right thing. It doesn’t matter at what level of peer pressure you are found; it is always serious. It can create a habit that may be detrimental to you, your peers, and your family as a result. This may sound a little dramatic, but the impact of your decision can lead to life-long patterns, important decisions, and even disasters.
Bottom line--the reason
why you find yourself at the pressure point is because you (like every living
teenager) care so desperately about the opinions of your peers. Although we all
do this, we should care more about what God thinks. Finally, my conclusion to
this article is, know your pressure point, avoid negative peer pressure if you
can. And if you are on the chopping block feeling defenseless, turn to God, or
the people He has put in your life. He will most definitely help you if you
call on Him.
Hope to see you all soon! Bye-bye!!! Alyssa
"But the Lord is faithful, and He will
strengthen and protect you from the evil one."
2 Thessalonians 3:3