Essential Christian Values for High School Students
Preparing a student for life after high school can sound like a daunting task. And yet, the Bible communicates the importance of such a task.
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” – Deuteronomy 6:6-7
It may seem that this responsibility is reserved solely for parents. However, I have seen students benefit greatly from the influence of family friends, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Regardless of your status as a parent or not, you can have an impact on a student’s life. While many things can be written and much advice can be given, I feel there are three important values that a student should have before leaving high school.
1. Biblical Worldview
It’s no secret that we are living in a post-Christian society. This means that Christianity has been around in our culture for long enough that many people have heard it and moved past it. The evidence is all around. Students leaving high school will be challenged with philosophies ranging from monotheism to atheism and everything in between. It’s important the students leave their years in high school understanding the value of a biblical worldview. This worldview will lead students to see the world through the lens of the Bible first and foremost.
While this sounds like an intimidating task, it doesn’t need to be. It can start with something simple, a candid conversation about what a student thinks of ideas they see and hear in our society: money, sexuality, heaven, hell, etc. Understanding their philosophy and being able to compare it to what the Bible has to say can help equip students with the value of a biblical worldview.
2. Spiritual Disciplines
The term spiritual disciplines can sound more intimidating than it should. The disciplines I am referring to are things such as daily prayer, consistently reading the Bible, meditating, or thinking on scripture. These practices are essential for an individual’s relationship with the Lord. Getting into a healthy and consistent rhythm during a student’s middle and high school years will condition them to carry on with these habits post-graduation.
As someone coming alongside a student, you can help instill this value by doing a bible reading plan with them. Or spending a few minutes in prayer with them daily. I have always challenged students in the daily 15-minute challenge: 5 minutes of prayer, 5 minutes of scripture reading, 5 minutes of scripture meditation. The time commitment is less than half an episode of a Netflix show but gives lifelong value to spiritual disciplines.
3. Godly Mentorship
Students will have no shortage of people in their lives who will be willing to offer them mentorship. Society is filled with people looking for personal disciples. Even in middle and high school, students are consuming mentorship through well-crafted and flashy videos on Tik-Tok and Instagram of people offering their wisdom on how life should be lived.
The challenge is helping students understand the value of godly mentorship. Someone who will keep them accountable to the standard of the Bible and speak biblical wisdom in whatever season they find themselves in.
Perhaps those of you reading this have experienced godly mentorship in your life and understand the value that it has. You can begin to encourage students to seek a mentor in their life even before they graduate. Starting the process of mentorship now will help students understand the value that godly mentorship can have as they move on from high school.
