Hello, Tigers! Today I want to challenge you to think about where your personal boundaries are in life. I love teaching with stories and metaphors. You have all heard the metaphor, "drawing a line in the sand" I am sure. This little saying is full of wisdom and I use it daily in my own life. Remember, good teachers do not teach from books but rather they teach from life. So let me share with you my thoughts on 'drawing lines in the sand'.
I believe that there are two parts of wisdom in this metaphor. The first meaning of the metaphor concerns the 'point beyond which we will proceed no further in life'. An example of this would be a kid who goes to a party but decides not to drink alcohol at the party. That is where he draws the line. The other meaning of the metaphor is that once you decide to go beyond the line that you made, the decision and its consequences are permanently decided and irreversible. Once you draw the line in the sand and you cross over it...its done. You can not go back at times, you must live out the consequences of your action and hope to use more wisdom next time (I have done this a thousand times in life).
As I mentioned earlier this morning, you face challenges as teenagers today that are much tougher than I faced when I was your age. So as an adult that has been given the privilege to influence your life, I want to empower you to be able to tackle these challenges in hopes that you come out of the battle with victory. You then will pass down to the next generation all that you have mastered in wisdom and soon we will affect our world one life at a time.
DRAW LINES....in the sand. I will challenge you today to journal a list of things that you will not do! Remember in life with every action that you make there is a reaction. There is a consequence to everything. The possible consequences of experimenting with drugs & alcohol is addiction, arrest record, failing grades & conflicts with your parents, just to name a few. The possible consequences to pre-marital sex is disease, pregnancy and emotional trauma and pain. The possible consequence of using the computer, internet too frequently is addiction, failing grades, weight gain due to lack of exercises etc...The consequence of overeating is obesity, health issues, low self-esteem, depression, lack of a social life, etc.... The list goes on and on. Do not be a person that thinks of the momentary gratification but instead think about the long term consequences of your actions. Draw a line in the sand so that it doesn't get to this point. Don't cross your line!
This story reminds me of a friend who had the name of a boyfriend tattooed on her arm. The relationship broke up and she no longer wanted the name on her arm. She had to go through the expensive and painful process of having the tattoo removed. It was a heavy and painful consequence for a bad decision. Sometimes our bad decisions cannot be removed from our life like the tattoo. Sometimes we have to live forever with the results of bad choices that we made. So THINK before you act! Ask yourself, am I willing to live with the outcome of this forever?
There is a point of no return in life. Some things can not be undone. So be wise. One thing that I do know is that I did not always, SLOW DOWN and THINK! Don't react emotionally or get suckered into what the crowd is doing. Step away and ask yourself, "is this a good decision?" I have faith in all of you that you all have the ability to make good decisions, and if by chance you make a bad decision then learn from it and don't repeat it. Remember what I have always told you, that there are no mistakes in life, just lessons. However sometimes are 'lessons' have to stay with us forever. Be careful. Love you guys, Ms. B.
I believe that there are two parts of wisdom in this metaphor. The first meaning of the metaphor concerns the 'point beyond which we will proceed no further in life'. An example of this would be a kid who goes to a party but decides not to drink alcohol at the party. That is where he draws the line. The other meaning of the metaphor is that once you decide to go beyond the line that you made, the decision and its consequences are permanently decided and irreversible. Once you draw the line in the sand and you cross over it...its done. You can not go back at times, you must live out the consequences of your action and hope to use more wisdom next time (I have done this a thousand times in life).
As I mentioned earlier this morning, you face challenges as teenagers today that are much tougher than I faced when I was your age. So as an adult that has been given the privilege to influence your life, I want to empower you to be able to tackle these challenges in hopes that you come out of the battle with victory. You then will pass down to the next generation all that you have mastered in wisdom and soon we will affect our world one life at a time.
DRAW LINES....in the sand. I will challenge you today to journal a list of things that you will not do! Remember in life with every action that you make there is a reaction. There is a consequence to everything. The possible consequences of experimenting with drugs & alcohol is addiction, arrest record, failing grades & conflicts with your parents, just to name a few. The possible consequences to pre-marital sex is disease, pregnancy and emotional trauma and pain. The possible consequence of using the computer, internet too frequently is addiction, failing grades, weight gain due to lack of exercises etc...The consequence of overeating is obesity, health issues, low self-esteem, depression, lack of a social life, etc.... The list goes on and on. Do not be a person that thinks of the momentary gratification but instead think about the long term consequences of your actions. Draw a line in the sand so that it doesn't get to this point. Don't cross your line!
This story reminds me of a friend who had the name of a boyfriend tattooed on her arm. The relationship broke up and she no longer wanted the name on her arm. She had to go through the expensive and painful process of having the tattoo removed. It was a heavy and painful consequence for a bad decision. Sometimes our bad decisions cannot be removed from our life like the tattoo. Sometimes we have to live forever with the results of bad choices that we made. So THINK before you act! Ask yourself, am I willing to live with the outcome of this forever?
There is a point of no return in life. Some things can not be undone. So be wise. One thing that I do know is that I did not always, SLOW DOWN and THINK! Don't react emotionally or get suckered into what the crowd is doing. Step away and ask yourself, "is this a good decision?" I have faith in all of you that you all have the ability to make good decisions, and if by chance you make a bad decision then learn from it and don't repeat it. Remember what I have always told you, that there are no mistakes in life, just lessons. However sometimes are 'lessons' have to stay with us forever. Be careful. Love you guys, Ms. B.
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