confessions: a look inside my high school locker

No, I'm not in high school. And no, I don't still have a locker. I do have 11 incredible young ladies in my life who do, however, and I know there are a billion others out there in the same shoes - looking into their freshman locker, maybe even on tiptoes, wondering what the next four years hold.

I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert, because I'm not. I have been in those shoes, though, and so have many of my friends. I wonder, what would it look like to crack open that locker that I kept closed and hidden? What would you see if I showed you around? I'm thinking that perhaps if I reveal some secrets, wisdom, tricks and confessions, those staring into an empty locker today may have some insight into their next four years.

I hope you have realized that I'm not really talking about my locker here - I'm talking about my heart. I remember thinking as a freshman in high-school that this was it. I had finally arrived. Now the world was at my fingertips. Finally, I had a blank canvas to start painting on. I was thrilled and terrified all at once.

It is exciting!! You are at a crossroads - physically maturing into young men and women, emotionally deciding what you think about love, life, family and friends, and spiritually changing as your parents' faith becomes your own. Wow. What a pivotal time in your life. Which is why I decided to start this series.

Confessions. Each week I will be opening up a different locker. Many will be my own and some will be second-hand stories of people I know, and then even more will be those that I ask to join me in writing their own stories. And that's all I want to do. I don't want to teach or preach, there are other times and places for that. I want to share stories - stories from the hearts of former high schoolers who have been in those shoes, peeking into large, dark, scary lockers.

Some topics that you can be sure to see: confessions: i think i'm fat, confessions: i made a "B" so i failed, confessions: my friend wants to kill herself, confessions: my parents are too strict....etc.

My hope and my prayer is that freshmen, high schoolers, youth and teens will read some of these stories and find hope - hope that they're not the first person to feel this way, hope that their story doesn't have to look like these, hope that if their story does look like these then there is a way out. And I hope you find Jesus.

I have to warn you, my locker was really messy. My heart was messy too. But behind all the mess - the passed notes, the passing grades, the failed relationships and the hurtful friendships - I want to show you Jesus, because He was there the whole time. I promise you will find Him in any locker, no matter how messy, knocking on the door of every heart...because He loves you deeply.

Isaiah 30:21 "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the Way, walk in it.'"