To Be Yourself

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just another random Tuesday till I found out the Duck Dynasty family recently finished an “I Am Second” video… awesome! If you haven’t scrolled through the folks that have already recorded one, you might be surprised just like I was. Josh Hamilton. Tommy Bowden. Josh Turner. Jason Castro. Trevor Bayne. Bethany Hamilton. So many more heart-wrenching yet uplifting stories of hope. Pretty cool.

Then I came across Christine Petric. She’s Korean so I can’t relate to that part of her story, but my Vietnamese niece can. It’s about growing up around mostly non-Asians. As I listened to Christine’s story, my heart beat faster. I know one day my cute little niece will wonder why she’s “different.” She was adopted in 2006 (for more on that, click here), so she’s about 7 now and last summer, my sister said she started asking questions about her skin color. It’s only a matter of time till a rush of emotions come over her and man, I would do anything to keep it from making her feel bad about herself! I believe with my whole heart that my sister and her husband saved a little girl from a life of hurt, struggle, and missed potential. But how do you make a child understand that yes, they are different, and isn’t it beautiful?! Of course, it’s all about perspective, too. She only notices the difference because she’s in Ohio and not Hanoi. Maybe that’s the topic of another post. But anyway, I know Ava’s going to continue with her curiosity about being different, but I hope she discovers quickly that so many people spend their whole life trying to stand out. Trying to separate themselves from the crowd. But her? She’s already there! God created her to be where she is now, and it’s just awesome. Actually, I can’t wait to find out how different she’s going to be!