A new school year is starting, and colleges are flooded with a new round of freshman. For the first time I am not going back to school since I graduated last semester. Things have really come full circle because my little sister is a college freshman. Thankfully, she is way less silly than I was freshman year. I thought Bible college would be some sort of Christian utopia meets marriage-mart, where pranks would be universally appreciated. I was wrong. Actually, the marriage-mart part is accurate (ring by spring!) but I also learned there is no need to sell yourself short. Reminiscing about that time and watching my sister enter it as I start into the workforce, I would like to encourage everyone who is not a freshman to be nice to them — you will be one again someday, and freshmen deserve respect too.

When I was a freshman in college, some upperclassmen were kind and tolerant to me, but I remember feeling looked down upon sometimes. Even other freshmen that felt like they were more mature were not always nice to me. Granted, I was a goofball, but I was a sweet goofball and a young lady. It all turned out OK — I learned and grew, and I was stronger than I seemed. In following years when new freshmen came in, I made a real effort to be kind and encouraging to them. Being happy and excited is no reason to try to knock someone down a peg — is there ever a good reason to?

My next experience as a freshman is right now, in the workforce. It came as a bit of a shock, because as a senior I felt like I was on top of the world. In fact, it was partly that feeling back in high school that had launched me into my silliness freshman year of college. Yet as a senior in college, I thought I had arrived, and was quite surprised to wind up back at another starting point. It turns out that there are babies in adult life, just like there are babies in college. Both times the realization was unexpected. While I was silly in college, I am inexperienced now. This time around, I am blessed to be in an unusually good environment. The managers where I work are kind and encouraging, and are always building me up.

As I pondered all of this I realized something; we will always keep being freshman somewhere — it’s cyclical. We will be freshmen managers, freshmen parents, freshmen in every realm of life — we will even be freshmen in Heaven someday. There will always be people who want to put others down to build themselves up, and there will always be people who seek to build others up. Sure, it has something to do with the “freshmen” involved, some of us just act a lot more like freshmen. But we ought to treat every person at every level with kindness and respect. How else could we interpret our calling as Christians? Is there room for the sort of insecure pride that needs to separate ourselves from others to show that we are better? Do we really admire and respect people for that anyways? Our Lord Himself called his followers friends.

I still remember the upperclassman who randomly gave me a sunflower and an encouraging note. I still remember the upperclassman who took me aside to speak words of encouragement and wise counsel to me. I still remember the upperclassmen who poured into me. Hopefully, I left some similar memories in other freshman through the years.

In the upcoming year, let us remember that none of us ever really “arrive,” but there is never any reason to make people feel small either. If you are not a freshman now you will be one soon, and there is grace for us all. I would be remiss to end without mentioning the surge of big sisterly outrage that hits me when I think that despite my sister being far more poised than I was at her age (and possibly more poised than I am now), there may well be someone who treats her with less respect than she deserves simply because she is a year or two younger. To that little punk I would say simply, you are a little punk. You will be a little punk at any age until you learn some servant leadership, and the infinitesimally small difference that a year or two actually makes. Also, freshmen have big sisters, to whom you are a freshman. See, it’s all a cycle.

This year, reach out. So what if a freshman is silly? They are supposed to be. Borrow from their joy as you are buried in your books. Build others up, and be the mentor you wish you had, or that you hope to have one day. Those that think they are too good to invest lovingly in younger people — they get forgotten. Leave a legacy at your school, your workplace, and this world. Treat people with dignity and respect no matter what — it only shows that you are secure. To any freshman out there who ever feel discouraged, just know that you are going to be on top one day, and by the time you get there, you will be strong enough to pull others up too.