Emily is Smiling

Hello, readers.  Earlier in the week, I posted an article called I'm Different. Are You?  In the article, I talked about how we should be different from other young people through our faith.  You may have read it.

Within the article, I was talking about being different through the things you don't do, and I mentioned something about how adults might consider you a model teen and say things like, "Look at Emily. She doesn't smoke pot or etc, etc.  You should be more like her."  At the time, I was entirely meaning to sound sarcastic because of the fact that it shouldn't be such a big deal to refrain from sin... that should be what is expected of you, not what is praised so highly!  I used myself as an example without thinking.

However, someone took the statement in a different way than I meant it and pointed out to me that it appeared like I was taking credit for my 'good' behavior rather than giving credit to Jesus.  I was absolutely floored.  When I re-read my paragraph, I realized that my statement could easily have been misconstrued in a way I didn't mean at all.  Normally, I wouldn't react to criticism from a comment this way -I never have before- but the anonymous commenter pointed out something I felt needed to be publicly corrected, as I never want to appear like I'm telling you to be like me.  In fact, if you asked me directly, I'd probably tell you to not be like me because I'm a pretty scarred individual.

I decided that before the day was through, I had to make it clear that I never intended to sound conceited or like I actually thought I was a perfect, model teenager that adults praise all the time... believe me, I'm not.  I'm as messed up as they come.  I've cussed, lied, hurt both myself and others, and abandoned God more than once.  Think I'm just saying that?  Here's my testimony. Read my story for yourself.

Don't bother searching for my controversial statement in my article, because I've already taken it out.  I didn't want it to be misinterpreted again, and I didn't want it to distract from what I meant to be the true purpose of my article.  The purpose was not me.  The purpose of my article was this: Our goal as Christian teens isn't to be unique. It's to be cities on a hill for Jesus Christ. 

As the last line of my article says:

 We can be different, you and I.  We're different because of Jesus Christ, and that is something we must not forget.  Amen?