Glimpses

Growing Up

Being a boy and growing up is a man-size job. It’s not easy. I know, because I did it, once. A young man’s head is filled with some wonderful ideas, some silly stuff, some rust, a double helping of curiosity and two heaping tablespoons of yucky stuff. And, it seems like it takes forever to grow up. But consider this: when you grow up, that’s where you’re stuck for the rest of your life. So, since you’ll be an adult for a long, long time, a young fellow needs to decide what kind of man he’s going to be.

When I was a freshman in high school, I was quite impressed with a beautiful red haired girl a year or two older than me. When I would see her in the hall, she was like an eye-magnet, pulling my eyes in her direction. I didn’t date many girls while in high school. I had my own interests - and hobbies, and a job, and my time was pretty well occupied, but this blue-eyed girl captured my attention. Now if you don’t know, it’s not easy for a young man to ask a girl for a date. It’s easy to ask a buddy to go somewhere, but when you start talking to girls a bunch of that stuff in the brain gets all mixed up and words come out of the mouth that sound like your tongue is swollen up the size of a pair of folded socks – and just as dry. I had given this a lot of thought. I was going to take her to the neatest, most romantic restaurant that I had ever seen. It was the Skyline Restaurant, located on the second floor and just below the control tower, at the Lubbock Airport. What a view at night – lighted runways and planes taking off and landing. At the time, this was an elite dining place and would not be cheap, but I had the money and could visualize being there with her.

One day at the close of the lunch hour, as students were beginning to return to the school building, I was standing near one of the entrances with some of my friends, doing what we all thought was a sign of manhood, cursing while we talked. I had everyone’s attention, and having a good time when suddenly I looked up and saw two blue eyes staring in total disbelief at me! Had she heard what I was saying? You can bet your roller blades on it! Do you think I ever got a date with that girl? Not on your life! I got what I deserved. I’m guessing that if I saw her today, that memory would be the first thing that would come to her mind when she saw me. We can learn from our mistakes – I know I did! I decided right then and there to stop using that kind of language. I didn’t want people to see me, and associate me with having a filthy mouth. Somewhere about that time, I started building my character and reputation. Now a guy is going to make some mistakes, but the idea is to be sure that they are mistakes and not done intentionally. Bad language and many other things that give us a bad reputation are habits – bad habits. There are two kinds of habits – good habits, and bad habits. Habits can be the best of friends, or the worst of enemies.

Smoking is another one of those things a lot a people try to look more grown up. I could introduce you to some smokers that I have known, but they’re dead, right now. Why would anyone let peer pressure force them to smoke when it tastes so awful? What is satisfying about sucking smoke into your lungs? Ever see a real healthy lung? It’s pink. Ever see a real smoker’s lung. It’s gray. An older fellow that I once worked with figured up how much he had spent on cigarettes in his life, and told me that if he had saved his money instead, he could have paid cash that year for a brand new Lincoln automobile. I’ll admit that smoking won’t send you to hell, but it will make you smell like you’ve been there!

Just today I called a store to check on an order. The man whom I talked to said that my order had not come in and when I told him that I was promised its arrival in yesterday’s freight shipment, he started telling me a lie. I stopped him before he completed his first sentence, and made a complete fool of himself. Realizing that I knew the truth, he completely changed his story and then said, “I don’t know then.” One of the problems with lying is, once you start, people never know whether to believe you or not – even when you’re telling the truth and it’s really important. Just like bad language cost me, lying will end up costing the liar. On top of that, the Bible tells us that God is so displeased with people who lie that he has made a special place for them, and some other people that I wouldn’t want to spend eternity with. Would I trust that store clerk in the future? Probably not. There’s no telling if what he says is the truth.

Interesting thing about lying – it’s always necessary to tell another one to help cover up the first one… and then you need another one to help make the second one believable. First thing a guy knows he can’t keep track of what he has said. The truth is very simple – it’s always the same, and you have only one story to remember.

I know for a fact that as a boy grows up he sees things in other people that he wishes he could do, or be like. I always wanted black hair, like my dad’s. That isn’t going to happen. I see people with talents that I wish I had, but I never will. I see people who have skills that I don’t have – and wish that I did. This used to make me feel inferior, or inadequate, until I realized that I am a special person – a very special person. There is not another person like me! In the whole world! I am a custom job! Designed and created by Almighty God, ruler of the whole wide universe! I am who I am because He has a job, and a place for a person like me. But he can’t use me very well if I decide to continue to use filthy language, or lie, or steal or a bunch of other bad things that often pop into our minds. God gave me special talents, and abilities, but just a little different from the other people that I admire. My job is to find out what my really worthwhile interests, and talents are, and start polishing them up. I’ll be at my happiest when I’m doing what I am equipped for. You see, I may not have black hair, or be an athlete, or be musical, or able to sing, but I have been given the ability to do some things that those people can’t do. And remember, it takes ALL OF US to make things go.

The sooner a young man quits trying to be someone else, to please or impress friends, or girl friends, the happier and more successful he will be. It took me a long time to learn this, so I’m passing this costly wisdom to you – free of charge: Always be yourself and always be the best person you can be. The more you do it, the easier it becomes! There is no way to be a different person for all the different people you know. Sooner or later, like the store clerk above, you will be found out. The idea is to be who you are to the best of your ability. If some people don’t particularly like you, others will love knowing and being around a genuine person.

There are a lot of temptations as you grow up. There are a lot of temptations after you get to be an adult. Often it’s hard to keep from making a mistake, but one thing that has kept me out of a lot of trouble is to ask myself, “What if I get caught?” Also bear in mind; we’re caught already, because God knows what all his creation is doing.

One of the most grown up things a person can do when they’ve made a mistake is be man enough to admit it. If you do wrong, take the consequences and promise yourself not to make the same mistake again. Believe me, there are plenty of adults who are not men enough to admit when they make a mistake, and that makes them - liars. A good name, and a good reputation are worth their weight in gold.

Seek out friends who have good morals, and good values. Good friends are few and far between, because none of us will have but a few true friends in our entire lives.

Harley