Posted in School

When Friendship Turns Poisonous

Posted on by graceteenmag

“How dare you talk to her, you’re my friend!” She screeched.

“What do you mean?” I said feeling utterly confused.

“You’re my friend only! It’s stupid that you’re talking to other people. So stupid!”

I gaped, “Are you for real?” I moved closer and lowered my voice glancing around the school hallway hoping that no one had heard her. “Why is it stupid for me to have other friends?”

She stepped closer and narrowed her small beady eyes, “Because you’re my friend and no one else should be. You’re not allowed to have other friends! Do you understand?”

“I’m not allowed?” I laughed; sure that she was teasing me.

But she didn’t smile. Her thin lips pursed.

“You’re crazy!” I moved back and noticed for the first time how much like a snake her dark eyes were.

How had they become friends anyway? Had she always been this creepy?

I took a deep breath, “I will have as many friends as I want, so deal with it!”

“You’ll be sorry.” She seethed.

I watched her storm away and knew that she meant every single word.

A shiver ran down my spine.

This was going to be a hard school year.

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Posted in Lifestyle

Try Again

Posted on by graceteenmag

“I am not here to make friends ”

That was my go-to line when I first moved to Australia in 2015 when my best friend would ask me why I didn’t want to socialize with anybody at Uni or anywhere else. I had made it very clear to her that I came to Australia just to study and then return to my home country Malawi to settle down.

3 years of studying certainly brought that statement to life; I went to classes, the library, and then home. My routine never deviated from this; I had made up my mind that making friends was just not what I was here to do.

This statement was like a shield around my tiny, fractured heart, it was the layer of protection I needed to tell other people and myself that I was “okay” on my own. Beneath that protective layer of words, was a scared little girl. A girl who had trusted and been let down. A girl who had opened up and had the door slammed in her face.

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Posted in Lifestyle, Mental Health

Unfollow Those You Can’t Really Follow

Posted on by graceteenmag

“Do not covet thy neighbour (10th Commandment).”

Coveting is one of the major sources of dissatisfaction. Whether it may be material things or physical features of others. The Lord explicitly doesn’t want us to be jealous of our neighbour. That’s why he wrote the command for us to remember.

Social media has become such a large part of our lives over the last few years. It has opened us up to see the world from different lenses, but also made us see ourselves in clouded lenses.

It has become the destruction of many young girl’s body images.

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Posted in Lifestyle

How To Deal With Body Shaming

Posted on by graceteenmag

It is so easy for us to get agitated when someone says something out of line. But when someone makes it personal and says something against our body, (something we can’t change). I would not blame you if you wanted to smack them out. Unfortunately, violence should not be our first action. There are ways to deal with body-shaming other than fighting someone because then you are no better than them.

Hurt People Hurt People

Many people that attack others normally have something they themselves are going through. That’s why it is highly advised that you don’t return the hate they are giving you for you don’t know their situation. It’s okay to be the bigger person. As people of faith, we should always show love to others (Matthew 22:39) even though they are the ones persecuting us.  

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Posted in Lifestyle

My First Protest – Black Lives Matter

Posted on by graceteenmag

Name: Michaela Mulenga

Age: 15 years old. 

On Saturday the 6th of June 2020, I attended the ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘Justice for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody’ protest in Melbourne with a few of my friends from my youth ministry, PlanetBoom.

1.Why did you attend the protests?

I attended the protest because I am just so sick of the things that are happening as a result of systematic racism in the United States, Australia and other countries all around the world. I am really passionate about the issues surrounding George Floyd and I wanted to be apart of something that could change the way the world works.

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Posted in Health, Mental Health

Positive Mindset = Positive Outlook

Posted on by graceteenmag

‘Create whole body positivity one attribute at a time…’

A good way to find happiness in your own skin is to list things that you love about yourself. Writing positive affirmations will hopefully boost your self-esteem and help you get to a level of positive thinking about your body.

We have all heard someone talk about writing positive affirmations on your mirror is good for you.

However, before we can deal with the greatness that’s in us we need to deal with the negativity that clouds us.

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