So many pimples, so little face (and other struggles of the American teenager)

                I listen to my music way too loud, constantly think I know more than my parents, and sleep every night with Proactive’s refining mask smothered all over my forehead. Ah, the joyous teenage years. Yes, I believe that I can confidently say that three problems have plagued teens since Cain and Able turned thirteen: rebellion, self-exaltation and acne.

                The thing is, I’m not sure that all these problems are actually… well… problems. (Except the pimples, of course.) There’s a time and place to be rebellious and a little over-confident. Now, I can admit that I’m no real rebel. The most rebellious moment I’ve had lately was stealing cups out of a supply closet at school, scoff if you will. But think about it, all of the most powerful revolutions are started by the teens. Egypt’s recent revolt was started by the April 6 Youth Movement. American teens fanned the flame of revolution in colonial society. Joan of the Arc led the French army to many victories in the Hundred Years War. This obviously begs the question: why teenagers? It’s the potent combination of being old enough to think we know everything and young enough to still believe that we can still change the world. We haven’t yet been squashed by the cynicism of the world. The worst experiences of some teen’s lives are a whitehead on picture day or detention on Saturday morning. For the most part, we haven’t experienced the full brutality that life can throw at us. We also know everything. We know that our teachers don’t know what they’re doing and that our parents know even less than they do. We know how to drive. We know what it’s like to carry responsibilities, and the freedom that they give us. We become independent during our adolescence. We determine who exactly we are, what we stand for, and where we’re going. The perfect mix of a generation of bold, dauntless teens with injustice means revolt.

                So I say embrace your rebellious side, cling to your confidence, and spread some salicylic acid on your blackheads because these are years that we will never get back! As teens, we have much more influence and power then we realize (or maybe we do, since we do know everything). We are audacious. We are rash. We are teenagers, hear us roar.   

1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Me: The Reader's Digest Version

So, as you can tell, I'm not very good at this blogging thing. I've written on it three times, and one of which was asking for money.... so let's start fresh. This is an essay I wrote for my English class. Enjoy :)

How can I define Heather Wroth in the short time that I have? There are too many stories, dreams and thoughts to write. I am hopelessly scatterbrained and often overzealous. I am thick-headed and clash with others, yet no one can stay mad at me.  I like to talk, lead, and talk some more. I have good intentions, but often forget exactly what they are. I play many roles: Christian, daughter, student, sister, friend and child-at-heart. I am just a girl still learning about herself and how she relates to the rest of this great big world.

            Yes, I am a Sanguine-Choleric.  On Wednesday nights, I volunteer in the Children’s Ministry. A couple of weeks ago, I was reprimanded for talking to a 3^rd grader about dogs when we were supposed to be listening to the sermon. This is almost a weekly problem for me; those kids are so interesting, and I often get bored with the speaker. They haven’t stripped my title as “youth leader” for one reason: I can wrangle those elementary students unlike any other volunteer in our class room. Being the only Choleric certainly keeps me busy. My mom has always known that I was a Sanguine-Choleric. She often uses words like “dynamic” and “overwhelming” to describe my personality. As a Melancholy-Phlegmatic, she prefers the quiet and has a hard time understanding my forgetful nature and the half-finished projects lying around the house. She loves me despite it all, and says that I “keep things interesting.”  My sister, on the other hand is a Choleric-Melancholy. We are constantly arguing, but I always win because I can talk my way out of any dispute. She describes me as “weird, annoying, and obnoxious.” My dad is all Sanguine. He makes friends everywhere he goes, always chatting-it-up with the cashier, sales clerk, random pedestrian and anyone who will talk back. We have fun together going on crazy adventures that my sister and mom never fully understand.

            A large influence on my personality was my parent’s divorce when I was five. As a preschooler, I had been more laid back and could be counted on to go with the flow. I hid behind my mom’s leg when introduced to new people and was the “quiet one” compared to my baby sister. I became more Choleric when I started living in two different families, trying to keep control in my chaotic world. I learned how to be Sanguine as I was introduced to a whole new family life with the edition of a new step-mom and step-sisters. I had to speak up louder than my family to have my opinion heard as I adapted to my new situation. I still have my quiet moments and when it’s time to be serious; I am a pretty good listener.  Who knows what my personality would be like without my dysfunctional family? I could be a Melancholy-Phlegmatic like my mom or a Choleric-Melancholy like my sister or maybe I would still be a Choleric-Sanguine with a different defining moment.

            Starting on Black Friday, I become the family’s “Christmas Elf.” My cousin and I wake up really early and go to all of the sales. I boss her around the stores and she follows my lead. I don’t really ever need anything, I just like to brave the crowd and go along for the adventure. When we get home, I get all of the shiny wrapping paper and go to work beautifying all of the presents and getting them ready to be displayed under the tree, which usually isn’t even up yet. I am usually so excited that I get a little ahead of myself. For the whole month of December, I am on a “Christmas High” and skate my way through midterms with the promise of Christmas distracting me the whole way.

            My biggest fault is that I am all scatterbrained, all the time. After school, when it is time to gather my homework from my locker, I take up all of the possible floor space around me. My books are dispersed all over the place, binders pouring out of my locker and my planner sitting in my lap as I try to decipher my own writing and remember assignments that I neglected to write down. This process usually takes a good 10-15 minutes. Every day.

            I am energetic and usually excited about something. I don’t know if this is a fault or strength. On the one hand, I am fun to be around. I am usually talking about one of three experiences: what just happened that was so fun, what is going to happen that will be “super-cool” or what I heard about that is “so funny it made me cry.” Some people find talking to me overwhelming. On Friday, Brent said “Heather, calm down! I can’t even talk to you” because I was jumping all over the place and trying to balance my History book on my head. The one consistency in my life is my animation and high energy.

            My mom has always said that I am a born leader. For a long time, I couldn’t accept that. I was afraid of leading, that I would be wrong and that people would stop liking me if I was too bossy. Despite my fears, it made sense, and I knew it. I had been a leader in almost every group project throughout school. I had no problem telling others what to do and what they were doing wrong. Over the summer of 9^th grade, I finally knew that God created me to be a leader. When I went to Haiti, I lead the rest of the group in the VBS that we did at the orphanages. No one assigned me that job, I just knew that it was my place. I felt so fulfilled being in charge and proud when the kids came up to the altar to accept Christ as their Savior. I love knowing that God used me to bring children into His kingdom. It is with this knowledge that I know God’s calling on my life. I was born to teach. I love kids and don’t mind joining their world for hours on end. I love talking to them. (They are about the only people that I will listen to without trying to interrupt.) I feel like one of them most of the time. It is the perfect job for my temperament. The Sanguine side of me will thrive in front of a class, keep things new and interesting every day, and act like a “kid” right along with them. My Choleric side will make sure the lessons are taught, papers graded, and I will love bossing… I mean leading… my students through elementary school.

            Being so thick headed, I often don’t listen to God. One night, in Middle School, as I was reading my devotions, I came across this verse: “If you think you know it all, you're a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.” (Proverbs 28:26) I was convinced that God put this verse in the Bible specifically for me. Millions of other Cholerics probably felt the same way when they read it for the first time, too. This was the first time I realized that I didn’t fully trust God. I often busy myself fixing my own problems, only giving them to God after I have exhausted all other options I can think of. Trusting my whole life to God is a daily struggle, and I often need reminding that I can’t solve anything but He can fix everything.

            If I am so stubborn that I won’t even listen to God, imagine my poor parents. I can get out of trouble using my persuasive words. My conversations with them are full of euphemisms. For example: “My friends really needed someone to be there for them today” really means: “I didn’t finish my laundry because I got distracted by Facebook.” Or “I stayed up so late because I had a ton of homework.” In reality is “I watched TV for 4 hours, and then started my homework at 10:30 p.m.” I drive them crazy but they love my colorful vocabulary.

 To sum it up in one sentence, Heather Wroth is an energetic, bossy, and sometimes careless servant of God who is learning exactly where she fits in His plan and how to get there. I try my hardest to please Him, entertain others, and some days, just keep my brain in one piece long enough to get anything done. My life isn’t always easy, but somehow it all works.