The Prom Pressure

As we enter in the prom season, many high school juniors and seniors are planning for their high school proms in this annual rite of passage.

According to History.com, the origin of proms can be traced back to ancient Greece, but the history of prom, short for promenade, is rooted in 18th and 19th century debutante balls, the popular high-society tradition with an introductory parading of guests in formal attire at a co-ed banquet. In the 1920s, proms began transitioning to high schools where they became a much more causal and inclusive event for teenage boys and girls on the brink of graduation.

So, what’s the point? For many teens, it is a chance to attend a social gathering with their friends to celebrate passage to another part of their lives.

Today there are “prom-posals” which almost equal marriage proposals in their presentations as invitations are made to prospective dates.

It is also expensive and over-the-top.

The average family spends at least $1078 dollars on their child’s proms for dresses, tux rentals, makeup, limo rentals, etc.

For me, if I could go back to my younger self, I would tell me not to stress about going to the prom and that it’s not the end of the world if you didn’t even go to the prom. Looking back on it now, it isn’t as important as I made it out to be when I was stressing about securing a date. Going or not going has never affected the outcome of my future.

I remember how stressed I was about going to my senior prom at Tompkins High School in Savannah, Georgia. During my senior year, I did not have a girlfriend and, honestly, no prospects for a date for the prom. I had one or two that I liked but they didn’t like me in the same way. As prom approached, I started getting increasingly anxious about going. My first and second choices turned me down. Fortunately, a girl from our church accepted - perhaps out of pity - but she was sweet to go with me. We went and it was awkward as you can imagine. She didn't know any of my friends and we were both probably secretly wishing we hadn't been there.

It’s funny at that age when you think something is so monumentally important but later in life you look back and see how truly overblown it was. If I could tell any high school junior or senior anything I would assure them that not going to the prom isn't going to be the worst thing that could happen to them. You don't need to put the pressure on yourself. I know the feeling, I went through it.

For some people, being able to look back on their high school days and reminisce about prom and what it meant to them is important. That's fine. I'm just saying that you shouldn't get caught up in the hype over it.

Only Believe

The hope of our resurrection is renewed with every Easter Sunday.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us the same hope of our own resurrection.

Of course, none of us were there on that first Easter morning to witness when Jesus returned from the dead. There is no video of it.

Yet, we believe.

That’s what we have…. belief.

That’s all we need - just to believe. Belief is the main foundation of the resurrection.

Only believe.

It can't be that easy, can it?

Religion will tell you that you need more than just to simply believe. Religion creates standards to legalize belief.  I once belonged to a church which created an atmosphere where you felt you had to meet a certain doctrine to believe.

Yes, I will admit to you that it is a leap of faith to believe. But you won’t have every question answered and you won’t understand everything.

Only believe.

Even one of the disciples who was with Jesus and heard his promises in person still needed proof to believe that he had risen from the dead. (John 20:24-29) When Jesus gave Thomas the proof he needed, he said that blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Then when Jesus was on his way to pray for Jarius’ daughter, he was stopped to heal a woman along the way. When the word reached them that Jarius’ daughter had died, Jesus wasn’t stressed that He was going to be late, He simply said “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” (Mark 5:35-36)

You can't accumulate enough Theological Degrees to qualify belief. People assume that education will answer their questions and prove or disprove all of this that we believe on Easter.

When Jesus was late arriving to heal Lazarus, Martha ran up to him and was distraught that Jesus was late, but He told her:  "I am the resurrection and the life.  The person who believes in me will live, even if they die and if they believe in me, they will never die." (John 11:25)

Then Jesus preceded to call Lazarus from the grave.

THAT is the belief we have in Jesus.

Years ago, I had the incredible opportunity to see the empty tomb in person.  I know some would debate whether or not it was the "actual" location or other reasons not to believe it, but I can tell you that my visit to the empty tomb didn't change anything in my belief in it.  Even though I saw the empty tomb, that's not the reason I believe.  Seeing isn't believing.  Experiencing is believing.    

Without hope in the resurrection, we live miserable lives.  The Message version addresses this in 1 Corinthians 15:12-20:

Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there's no resurrection, there's no living Christ.

And face it - if there's no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you've staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ - sheer fabrications, if there's no resurrection.

If corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ wasn't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they're already in their graves.

If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot.

But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.

Believing isn't a passive thing.  You either believe or you don't.  Belief requires an effort.  A decision.

Say what you will about me, I choose to believe.

Pressing Toward the Prize

Several years ago there was a Christian music artist who wrote and performed a song named “Pressing Toward the Prize” which was my jam at the time.  I loved that song.  It was an uplifting and very encouraging song.  

The chorus went like this:

I won't stop running 'til I've won the race
I won't stop praying 'til I see His blessed face
I will not settle for a life of compromise
I'll just keep pressing toward the prize
Until I see Him in the skies

I have been a believer for a very long time.  I have never given up in my faith in God.  It hasn’t always been easy but I am committed to finishing my “race” as Paul stated in Philippians 3:12-14.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Pressing means that you have to make the effort.  Just as in running a race, you have to do something to reach the finish line even if you don’t feel like it.  I know that there are definitely a lot of reasons that people choose not to believe but that’s not my choice.  Someone’s lack of belief isn’t going to change my mind.  The bottom line is that I have gone too far to turn back now.

Am I perfect?  Far from it.  I don’t always get it right.  I mess up and sometimes I fall but I always get back up and keep pressing on.  I am committed to learning from my mistakes and striving to do better.

When I read about how marathon runners prepare for the big race, there were three things that stood out to me:

• Diet - When a runner is serious about training for a marathon, they have to eat the right foods.  They can’t just sit on the couch eating potato chips and then decide to jump up and win a marathon.  When you decide to follow God, you have to have the right spiritual diet.  Eliminate the junk in your life and make sure you are ingesting things that will help you to run the race.
• Pace Yourself - Runners will train and learn how they have to pace themselves.  In a marathon, you can’t just run as fast as you can or you will certainly burn out along the way.  You have to do the same thing spiritually.  You have to know your limitations and adjust your “race” accordingly.
• Don’t compete with others -  When you run a marathon, you can’t be consumed with what others are doing.  You have to run your own race.  In the spiritual race, we can’t compete with others.  What works for others may not work for you.  Some people need church.  There’s nothing wrong with that but that doesn’t mean everyone who is a believer has to belong to a church organization.  Some pray out loud while others pray silently.  You have to do what works for you.

The main thing to winning any race is that you have to have a made up mind to do it.  You can’t do it half-hearted.  In being a believer you either have to believe or not.  There are some days that I don’t feel like doing it but those are the days I focus on the pressing part.  I know it’s going to be worth it in the end if I don’t give up.

Growing up in the church we had a hymnal we referred to as the "Blue Book" which had the hymn "I Am Determined".   I was always excited in singing the last verse in that hymn:

When I hear the trumpet sounding in the sky

And see the mountains trembling to heaven I will fly

For Jesus will be calling there'll be no time to mend

With joy I'll go up singing "I've held out to the end"

We MUST be determined to finish our race.