My Opinion on Opinions

I don't know about you, but I spent a lot of my high school life trying to decide what I thought about really hard topics. I have always been a Christian, so no matter what topic, I would always try and wrestle with it from a Christian worldview. However, I was never good at reading the news - and I still struggle with it to this day. It is just not something in my regular routine, which can make it very hard when I try and tackle some of the problems in this day and age.

However, the greatest place for generating opinions for me was in my own home: it was with my parents. And believe me when I tell you, I would likely have very few opinions on various matters if it wasn't for my family.

But throughout my high school life, I kinda felt ashamed. Because I felt that the opinions, or conclusions I had come to were all those that my parents had as well. Whilst I did not feel like a copycat, I felt naive or childish for not developing my own opinions. Whilst friends all around me lit a torch for their own path, I was stuck following the same way my parents had followed.

And it challenged me. In Grade ten, I felt forced to make opinions, to be thoughtful - even simply by the subjects I was taking. And I grew a lot that year, something I feel very appreciative of. But after many conversations in Grade 11 and 12, where we learnt some pretty deep stuff, and even being pushed to grow in some of the hardest events in my life, I realised something - just before I graduated. Something I felt very comfortable in.

I do not need to be ashamed of anything.

Whilst so many friends and students around me had forged their own path, and became totally different people, I was following the path my parents had wanted for me for so long. And I knew something - I did not have to rebel to have my own opinions.

In fact, I know now that what my parents have been teaching me for my whole life was the way Christ wants me to go. They have helped me grow in God's word. They have shaped me into woman of God, and have helped me mature more than I ever could have on my own.

When I was little, my parents made a covenant with God in infant baptism. Whilst many of you may disagree with this sacrament (baptising infants, I mean), the importance of their vows still stand. And one of them is to ensure they raise me up in the knowledge of God, teaching me faith in Jesus Christ for salvation from sins. They have been put on earth to ensure that me and my two brothers are prepared to live our lives for Christ.

I do not need to create different opinions to my parents if I believe they are the right ones. Especially if they are in line with the word of God, the only authority which I can assertively follow. I thank God that I have great parents who desire for me to first and foremost love God and accept that the only way I can be saved is through the blood of the lamb. I thank God that they have opinions on many different world problems that line up with scripture.

So to those out there who feel exactly the same as me, do not be ashamed that you accept your parent's opinions as your own. Ensure that you consider them, make them your own only if they align with the word of God.

To those who feel they need to rebel, I encourage you to consider why. If it is to fit in, especially in a world which rejects God, I urge you to reconsider. If you have Christian parents, listen to them, take their opinions seriously. Don't flippantly disregard their teaching. If they are Christian, it's likely safe to say they are more wise than you.