Elijah Thought He Was the Only One Too

Quick answer: You're almost certainly not the only Christian in your school. You might be the only one who's gone first. Small, steady, kind faithfulness does more than one big brave speech, and it's how the others find you.

It's 11:42 in the cafeteria. You've got a tray of chicken nuggets and about four seconds to decide whether you're going to bow your head before you eat.

Nobody at your table does. Last time you did it, someone said "Wait, are you praying?" loud enough that the next table turned around. So today you just start eating, and it feels a little like you lied without saying a word.

If that's you, keep reading. You're in better company than you think.

Elijah counted wrong

Elijah was one of the boldest prophets in the Bible. He'd just watched God send fire from heaven. Then one threat from Queen Jezebel had him running into the wilderness, sitting under a tree, and telling God he was done.

His reason? He thought he was alone.

"I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away." (1 Kings 19:10, ESV)

God didn't scold him. First He let him sleep and gave him food. Then He corrected his math:

"Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal..." (1 Kings 19:18, ESV)

Seven thousand. Elijah had counted one.

That's the part of feeling alone at school nobody tells you. The feeling is real. The count usually isn't. In a school of a thousand kids, there are almost certainly others who go to church on Sunday and say nothing on Monday. They're sitting at their own lunch tables deciding about their own four seconds, and every one of them thinks she's the only one.

Somebody has to go first

The girl who bows her head for four seconds isn't making a scene. She's sending up a flare.

Most of the Christian friendships I've seen form at school started exactly like that. One girl did something small and visible, and another girl saw it and thought, oh, her too? A cross necklace. A Bible verse on a water bottle. Someone saying "I've got youth group Wednesday" when asked about plans, instead of mumbling "I'm busy."

Jesus put it simply:

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16, ESV)

Notice what people are supposed to see. Your good works. Not your arguments.

So the most powerful things you'll do this year probably won't look powerful at all:

• Praying before lunch, quietly, every day, whether or not anyone notices.
• Refusing to join in when the group chat turns on someone.
• Being the one who talks to the new girl in chemistry.
• Doing your own work when everyone's passing around the answers.
• Speaking to teachers with respect, even the one everybody complains about.

None of that requires a microphone. All of it gets noticed eventually.

Daniel's school was worse than yours

Daniel was a teenager when he was taken from home and put into a three-year training program in Babylon. New language, new name, new food, a king who expected total loyalty. If anyone had a right to feel like the only one, it was him.

"But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank." (Daniel 1:8, ESV)

Two things stand out.

First, he decided ahead of time. He didn't wait until the plate was in front of him. You can do the same. Decide tonight what you'll do at lunch, what you won't laugh at, what you'll say if someone asks. It's a hundred times easier to hold a line you drew yesterday than to draw one in the moment with six people watching.

Second, he asked respectfully. He didn't lecture the official in charge. He offered a polite, reasonable test. And God gave him favor.

Firm and kind. That's the whole posture.

What to say when someone asks

Somebody will ask. "Are you religious?" "Why do you pray?" "Wait, you actually believe that?"

You don't need a debate-team answer. You need a true one.

"but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15, ESV)

Try something like: "Yeah, I'm a Christian. I believe Jesus died for me and rose again, and knowing Him changed how I live. You can ask me anything."

That's it. Short, honest, and it leaves the door open.

If they push, you can say what Jesus Himself said, that He's the way, the truth and the life, and nobody comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Say it the way you'd tell a friend about the best news you've ever heard, because that's what it is. And if you don't know the answer to a hard question, "I don't know, but I'll find out" is a completely honest reply. Then actually ask your youth pastor. If you want practice explaining the gospel clearly, Way of the Master has material built for exactly that.

When it costs you something

Sometimes it will. An eye-roll. A nickname. Not getting invited somewhere. A comment in class that stings for the rest of the day.

Paul told a young man named Timothy:

"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12, ESV)

An example, not a fighter. Answer mockery with calm. Don't mock back. Don't turn your faith into a weapon to win a point.

But there's a line. If teasing turns into bullying, threats, or someone going after you online, that's not something you carry alone. Tell a parent, a school counselor, a teacher you trust, or your youth leader. Today, not next month. You won't be in trouble for telling. Speaking up isn't weakness. It's wisdom.

It also helps to know your rights. In U.S. public schools, students can generally pray on their own, read a Bible during free time, and wear a cross. Under the federal Equal Access Act, if your school allows other student-led clubs that aren't tied to classes, it generally has to allow a student-led Bible club too. Rules vary, and Canada works differently, so check with a parent or your youth pastor before you start anything. But you likely have more freedom than you think.

Find your three

Daniel had Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He didn't do Babylon alone, and you weren't meant to do high school alone either.

Look for your people:

• At school. Once you've gone first, watch who responds. Invite one girl to sit with you. Look into See You at the Pole, usually held the fourth Wednesday in September, and see who shows up.
• At church. Youth group is where you refill so you can go back out. If it didn't feel like home right away, give it six Wednesdays before you decide.
• At home. Tell your mom or dad what's going on. You might be surprised how much they remember about being the odd one out, and how much they'd love to pray with you about it.

And on the days nobody at school seems to see you, remember that your worth was settled before you had one follower. The cafeteria doesn't get a vote.

If the lonely gets heavy

Feeling left out is normal. Feeling like there's no point to anything isn't something to push through quietly. If loneliness starts turning into hopelessness, talk to a parent, pastor or youth leader right away. You can also call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night. Reaching out is exactly what God's people are supposed to do for each other.

Elijah sat under that tree convinced it was all on him. It wasn't. It never was.

Tomorrow at 11:42, bow your head. Somebody two tables over is watching, trying to decide whether she's brave enough to do the same.