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Choices
(posted 7/11/06)

Hi, my name is Heather Parrish, and I am a 8th grader. All children have to attend school. Sometimes parents might not know what we have to face each and everyday. Sometimes it might be hard to go and talk to our parents (although we should).Also you might realize the choices you have to make each and everyday. You have to choose to set good examples, or go crazy and wild at school. We are also faced with the decision of who our friends are, or having sexual contact with the opposite sex. Who do you think gives us the strength to set the examples and make those hard choices everyday. It is our heavenly Father. As you read in First Samuel 17:12-54 it tells you the story of David and Goliath. Now in this story you learn about when the men of Israel and the Philistines came to battle. The Philistines had a great champion named Goliath which stood nine feet nine inches. Now since there was this young boy named David who had enough strength from God to kill Goliath, then we should be able to stand strong enough to make good decisions. Every time that you are faced with a hard decision, think about the story of David and Goliath, and how David had faith in God and God helped him. Remember, have faith and He can help you when faced with the hard choices.

Courage. It is a huge part of scripture. One that we can't easily ignore. Do you have it? I mean real courage. Not the courage it takes to kill a spider or even the courage it takes to play the lead in your school musical. No, I mean real Biblical courage.

To be a child of God takes true courage, to stand up for what is right and be an example to others. In Matthew 5:14-16, we see that we are to be a city that is set on a hill and that we are to let our light shine for others to see. But that is easier said than done. It takes courage to stand up for the right when the world around us is covered in sin and darkness. . It seems that we are faced with so much sin around us and it is such a big part of young people's lives today, at least from what I can see.

In schools across the country, young Christians face an “epidemic” of sin everyday. It's hard to be different when the norm seems to be short skirts, filthy language, cheating, and lying. When did that become cool? Throughout my high school years, I couldn't believe all the sin that raged around me every day. It was so blatant, so “in my face”. Some days it seemed like there was no good around me anywhere. The teachers cussed, the other students talked about the “fun” they had last weekend with their boyfriend, and I don't believe there were more than 3 people in the entire school every day that were dressed modestly. I don't know how many times I talked to God during the day throughout my four years, but I do know that without Him, I would have been miserable.

Back to the courage thing. With all that going on everyday, it's hard to be different because then you stick out like a flamingo in a cotton field. Ok, bad example, but you get my point. But aren't we supposed to stick out? That's one thing that I have learned over the past couple of years. It's ok to be different because God said that we are supposed to be. We are to be separate and apart from the world, to live in the world but not be of the world. (1 Jn. 2:15) How can we do that? Well, what are the main things that do set us apart from the world? What things make us different? The way we talk to others and about others is one thing. How about our actions and the things that we participate in? Also, the way we dress is a big part of our example. All of these things are ways that we can stand up for what we believe in and show our biblical courage.

What about our speech? Is it careless, or do we carefully think about our words? In James 3:5-12, James talks about how the tongue is a fire and no one can tame the tongue. Through prayer and with God's help, we can help to bridle our tongue. The things that we say can deeply affect others and their view of us. Our words can encourage others as well as cause hurt feelings. We can teach the gospel with our tongues or drive others away. On the day of judgment, we will have to give an account for our deeds, and that includes our speech (Rom. 14:12 ).

Don't be afraid to invite people to services or to a meeting. Don't be afraid to ask someone to stop using bad language. Usually, they will respect that. If they don't and they ridicule you for it, you will be blessed because you will be reproached for the name of Christ (1 Pet. 4:14).

Whatever comes your way throughout the day, whether it is at work, at the grocery store, or at school (that includes college), don't be afraid to stand up for the Lord. Paul sums it up in Romans 1:16 when he says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation, for the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” In addition to being courageous and not ashamed, this verse also tells us that the gospel is for everyone, including your friends at school. We need to stand up for Christ and not be afraid of what people think or say because in the end, if we have pleased God and helped further the gospel, we have done well.

It also takes courage to be different in the way we dress. This seems to be the hardest thing for many young Christians, especially girls, to deal with. While the rest of the world walks around wearing tiny skirts, tight, low-slung jeans, stretchy tops, and their underwear on display, it's hard to find a reason to want to cover ourselves up. Everyone else does it and so it must be right. People don't think anything of it and that makes it ok. No, I don't think so.

The right thing to do has never been the popular thing to do and that's what makes it hard. When you get up in the morning and figure out what you are going to wear for the day, you have a choice to make. You can either dress like the world and blend in with the crowd, or you can be the pink flamingo in the cotton field. I don't think that means that you have to dress like a Quaker with long skirts and turtlenecks. There are just some obvious differences in the way a Christian girl dresses and the way a girl who is of the world dresses.

Something that has bothered me for a long time is the 2 inch rule that I have heard so much about. Who said that a shirt or a dress' straps had to be two inches? Who said that your skirt had to come to your knee? Is it the top of your knee? The bottom? If a skirt comes barely to your knee, what happens when you sit down (Is. 47:1-3)? What are you showing to other people? Just think about what you put on display.

I have read 1 Timothy 2:9-10 countless times, but I remember one year at FC camp that we focused on something else in the verse. “…in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.” Did you catch that? Proper for women professing godliness . Do you profess godliness in the way that you dress? Could someone look at you and say, “Hey, I bet that girl is trying to be godly”. Or do people look at you and think that you are just another worldly girl, dressing like everyone else?

We have to be different somewhere and the way we dress is the first thing that people notice about us. For example, I was in Wal-Mart the other day and I noticed two Mennonite girls at the checkout counter. I stood there for a minute or two thinking about what good girls they probably are. I most likely would not have thought of that if they had been wearing spaghetti strap shirts and mini-skirts. That just wouldn't fit, would it? Don't mistake me, I'm not saying we should all dress like the Mennonites. But you have to stop and think if the way you dress fits with the message that you are carrying. What if you were trying to teach someone the gospel and you taught them something that you yourself didn't do? A Ford salesperson who drives a Chevrolet probably won't be successful in selling the product.

If we don't live any differently than our non-Christian friends, we won't be successful in sharing and teaching the gospel. The way we dress is a powerful statement of the way we live and hopefully, our different way of life. Don't be afraid to dress differently from the world. It is a display of our commitment to a pure life in which we are striving to be more holy.

We also have to have the courage to be different in the things that we do in our day to day lives. Our actions speak the loudest of any part of our lives. Our speech and our dress are actions, but I want to talk about the things that we do. Let's say that you are on a girls' basketball team that practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You become involved with the team and suddenly you discover that games are always on Wednesday nights at the time of services. What do you do? We are not commanded to meet on Wednesday night, but neither are we to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Heb. 10:25). It would be a hard choice, but it's all a matter of where your priorities are.

What if some of your girlfriends and you want to go on a trip to the beach? They don't plan on going to church and you won't have a ride. What do you do? It is your vacation right? Won't God understand that? Does God ever take a vacation from you? No. Just because we go on vacation doesn't mean that it is a vacation from God. Make arrangements or find a church in that area. That's what our Christian family is for. You'll find that you will be an example for others to see that you don't take a vacation from God on your vacation.

What about movies? Do movies affect you? I've heard many people say that they don't. What about the fact that “Evil company corrupts good habits”? If your friends can affect you and bring you down, then why can't a movie? Aren't they the same thing? It seems to me that what you hear and what you see does affect you because that is what your company is. It is what you hear and what you see. So we need to be very diligent in monitoring what we see and hear.

Also, what you spend your time doing is an important part of your actions. Where does your time go? Getting your nails done or visiting a sick member of the church? Watching E News Live or writing letters of encouragement to brothers and sisters in the Lord? Keeping up with your reading of the New York Times Bestsellers list or reading the number one best-seller of all time, the Bible? I think you get my point. I am not saying that any of those things are bad, but it just depends on how much time you are spending on those things. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt. 6:21)

We need to be doers and not just hearers (Js. 1:22), and try to walk the narrow way (Mt. 7:13-14). Be courageous in the things that you do and stay strong in the Lord. The reward far outweighs what we have to deal with now on this earth. “For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18)

If you are persecuted for doing right, then you are doing what the Lord wants you to do. Second Timothy 3:12 says that “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

Revelation 21:8 includes the cowardly with the unbelieving, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, liars, and idolaters, all of whom will have their part in the lake of fire. Are we being cowardly or courageous?

If we continue to do right and strive toward the goal, then we have the hope of being with God for eternity. “…and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:17c)