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b'Have you ever felt like you had to work to get people to like you? School, church, homeschool co-op, work\\u2014anywhere you go there are expectations to act a certain way, to say certain things, to not do this, and to definitely not dothat! You might feel like you have to guard yourself to make sure no one sees who you really are because they might not like that person.\\nLooking for approval is something we all do, but we often look for acceptance in the wrong places. When we focus on being the cool kid or being the teacher\\u2019s favorite or wearing the right thing, we sometimes forget we belong to Jesus, our loving King and the One who should be the center of every action we take. It\\u2019s so difficult to fight the urge to fit in because, even though our world says, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Be yourself\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d and \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You\\u2019re perfect just like you are,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d we still are constantly being judged and even rejected by others.\\nBut why should we try so hard to fit in when God has called us to be different? In Christ, He\\u2019s given us a new identity as His children, and we belong to Him. When we focus on that truth, we don\\u2019t care how other people are acting. Because of the love Jesus gives us, we become focused on showing others His love and truth instead of worrying about what others think of us.\\nTeenagers especially have an opportunity to be a light to the world. Why teenagers especially? You\\u2019ve heard the stereotypes! *Teenagers are lazy. They just want to have fun and be cool. They are self-obsessed and addicted to their phones.*\\nBut, in Christ, we can be the ones to break the stereotypes. We can be the ones who work hard and don\\u2019t care if other people think we\\u2019re weird. We can be the ones who are respectful, intuitive, smart, and helpful, putting others first and reflecting Christ\\u2019s truth and grace in every interaction (John 1:14). We don\\u2019t have to conform to the world\\u2019s expectations because we are being transformed to be like Jesus (Romans 12:1-2)! \\n\\u2022 Have you ever felt pressured to look or act a certain way? How did you deal with it? \\n\\u2022 Reread 1 Peter 2:9-12. What are some things that come with having our identity in Christ? \\n\\u2022 How does knowing we are accepted and loved in Jesus affect the way we view others and what they think about us?\\nDon\\u2019t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nRomans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:9-12'