High school can be rough.

There’s that test on top of that other test. There’s that job that steals every minute of your free time. There’s that boy whose attention you can’t seem to get. There’s your parents who always seem to be upset about something you’ve done. There’s that gap between finding who you are and becoming comfortable with who that person is.

There’s one thing after another after another and before you know it the walls of your mind close in on you and you feel alone–so desperately alone. 

Then someone smiles at you in the halls. A new person sits with you at lunch. An old friend checks up on how you’re doing. 

And it changes things. 

No, that test didn’t get moved to a later date and no the universe didn’t give you an extra hour in your day. No, that boy didn’t slide up on your story and no your parents didn’t stop nagging you about this or that. No, you haven’t figured out who you are and no you’re not sure about who you’re becoming. 

But someone gave you a second of their time, of their thoughts, and of their love. And that makes all the difference. 

High school isn’t just rough, it’s divided. We live in a building where social “cliques” not only measure our worth but dictate who we talk to. The cheerleader can only talk to the jock and the jock can only tease the nerd.

But what if we looked past these labels and saw people for people. What if the jock invited the loner to sit with him at lunch? What if the popular girl asked the shy girl how she was doing?

Despair doesn’t discriminate between the jocks and the nerds. Loneliness is not just for the loners. Popular girls aren’t the only ones with tears. 

We’re all in high school. We’re all going through variations of the same things and experiencing variations of the same feelings. 

So why don’t we help each other? 

I’m not saying you have to be friends with everybody and I’m not telling you to smile at every single person you pass in the halls. But I am telling you to branch out. To be more inclusive. To break the barriers of cliques and to help the hurting. 

You never know what someone goes home to once that bell rings and you never know what thoughts keep them up at night. 

But you do know how good it feels to feel loved. And when you feel that love, that love that reminds you of your worth and your value and your light, you can’t help but want that for everyone else. 

I can’t help but wonder how many lives could have been saved by a brave soul who invited a loner to lunch, offered someone feeling worthless a compliment, or simply asked “how are you doing?” to the person in need of a friend. 

So I challenge you today to be a light for those drowning in darkness. 

The guy being teased in the locker room needs you. 

The girl sitting by herself at lunch needs you. 

Our school severed by social cliques needs you. 

Be the light.