Hold On to What You Have

I remember when I was in secondary school, and how being a Christian wasn’t really considered "cool." You know, being a Christian meant loving God and living by His principles, principles like not cheating in exams, not dating recklessly, and generally striving to live right. But those principles were often dismissed.

It wasn’t easy. There were people who mocked you, who thought you were uncool, and who treated you as insignificant. Some laughed, others outright called you a fool. But looking back, I wonder, were some of those people truly convinced of their own words, or were they just following the crowd?

Maybe, at the time, they were swept away by what was popular, by what seemed "cool." And if you, too, allowed yourself to be influenced by that mindset, you might have ended up abandoning your principles just to fit in. But now, years later, some of those same people who once mocked Christian values have come to profess faith in God and recognize His goodness.

This makes me think, what if you had let go of your beliefs back then just to be accepted? What if, in trying to blend in, you lost the very identity that made you who you are?

The truth is, no one has the right to dictate how you should live, especially if you’re living by principles you deeply believe in.

If I choose not to cheat in an exam, why should that be a problem for someone else? If my commitment to integrity bothers you, then the issue is yours, not mine.

You should never compromise your values because of what others say. Those who pressure you to conform may not even care about the consequences of their actions. And in the end, they’ll move on with their lives while you’re left dealing with the aftermath of decisions you never truly wanted to make.

This applies both physically and spiritually. People may lead you into wrongdoing, but at the end of the day, God will forgive them if they repent, while you might still be struggling with the consequences.

So don’t live your life based on the opinions of others.

Stand firm in your faith, and may God be with you.