Be Bold. Stand Your Ground

I think I have always known my whole life that I am meant to be different from everyone else around me. I chose to make Christ my Savior and Lord at the age of 9.

I knew from that day that the decision I had made would forever color every other decision I would make in life.

Throughout my high school and college life, I knew that I needed to live a life that pleases my Heavenly Father while giving honor to my earthly parents. Staying out of trouble as a teenager and young adult is possible when you know whose child you are. In high school, I was the quiet and studious child who was able to stay focused on the tasks in front of me despite distractions in the periphery. This doesn’t mean that I did not desire to be beautiful and popular as my classmates were.

However, I made some tough choices throughout the many, many years that I was a student in different settings (high school, college, graduate school). In each of these places, I knew that it was vain to follow the lead of others for popularity’s sake.

Now, as a mom, I find it important to impress upon my kids that it is not important to seek the approval of other people. Here are the important things I want to convey to my kids and to young people growing up today.

You have to know who you are and whose you are. You are a child of the King of Kings.

Once you know that and understand it, you do not mind living a life that is different from others. That means that you should not feel pressured to wear clothing that is immodest. It means that you should not go to places where a child of God does not belong. It means that the words of your mouth should reflect your understanding that you are an ambassador for the Almighty.

Know who you are and whose child you are! ~Shiney Cherian Daniel