Knowing who you are is the bedrock of whom you become. Growing up, my parents will always tell us to remember the daughter/son of whom we are. Although not present with us all the time, they want us to carry the silent creed of the family everywhere we go and to behave in manners that affirm our upbringing. The values my parents instilled in me play a huge role in how I approach the world around me.

When I became a Christian at age fifteen, my first desire was to start attending Church, fully. Although I attended Church with my family on some Sundays because my parents were Christians, it was impossible for me to attend as much as I would love to after I accepted Christ. We were only able to attend a few times a month because we moved farther away from Church and we had to depend on the Church’s bus to pick us up for services.

I’ve asked other people to meet me in the middle many times. It’s just a civil way of finding a common ground by reaching a compromise to gain something. When negotiating, people often ask to meet in the middle because no one wants to be on the losing end of a deal. Although a win-win situation is not always ideal or the best business deal, people prefer that because while you can lose some, you don’t want someone else to win all, at your expense.

I was having a conversation with my daughter, and we were trying to think of alternatives to serving Jesus, asking the question,” If not God, then who?” If the world so wants to pry me away from my savior, what alternatives does it offer me? Regardless of how you weigh it, it simply makes sense to follow God.

As we begin this new year, we reflect on the past year and acknowledge that it was by God’s grace we were not consumed. He was the steady hand that kept us up and the anchor that held our world above the waters. He was the peace that dispelled our fear and the love that shone through every hate and darkness. And as we start 2023, we surrender our all to Jesus and pray that each moment will be filled with His presence and that the world will grow in the knowledge of who He is.