Letters to My Daughters - Take a Stand
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Dear Daughters,
“If you don’t stand
for something, you’ll fall for anything.” Alexander Hamilton
I’ve heard a song on the radio lately that seems to be
getting a lot of play. If I’ve heard it, you’ve probably heard it—it’s called
“Some Nights.”
The first couple of times I heard the song I was kind of
shocked that someone would be so blatantly honest about their “lostness.”
“Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh
What do I stand for? Oh what do I stand for? Most nights, I don't know.”
There’s a story there, and the interpretations are
many (trust me, I Googled it). The meaning behind the song doesn’t really matter
to me. What really stands out is that the songwriter obviously does not have a
purpose in life. Over and over again he asks: “Who am I?” “What do I stand
for?”
It struck me as I listened to the lyrics that these
are the questions of your generation. Not just yours, of course—many
generations before you have asked the same questions—but especially today,
right now, many people seem to lack direction.
Quite simply, they’re lost.
Hey, I’m glad this songwriter is asking the
question. Thinking through these issues is much better than just sitting on the
front porch waiting for life to just come along. What’s frustrating to me about
this song is that it seems like the songwriter is just waiting for someone or
something to tell him what to be, what to think, what to believe.
Girls, I want you to hear this: you can’t wait for
“life” to come along and tell you what you stand for. You have to decide. You
don’t have to ask, “Who am I?” You have the power to determine that for
yourself.
Do you want to be a person of integrity? Then be
that.
Do you want to be a person who keeps her word? Then
start practicing that today.
Do you want to be faithful to your husband? Then
determine before you are even married that you will be a faithful wife.
Do you want to be a loser sitting on a front porch
waiting for life to come along? Then do nothing, sit waiting, and you’ll be
that too.
This song reflects a real sense of hopelessness, and
that’s what makes me sad. It’s like the songwriter feels that he has no power.
But I wonder if, really, the power has been given away—if so many of us have
become accustomed to just having “life” handed to us that we’ve begun to rely
on others to even tell us who we are.
Believe me, if you don’t know who you are, the
world will happily decide it for you. The world will tell you that you are not
enough. The world will tell you that you are a loser. The world will tell you
that you aren’t worth it. The world will tell you all kinds of lies, some much
worse than these.
You know this, but it bears repeating. God tells
you clearly in His word who you are: chosen, beloved, cherished above the
heavenly beings, forgiven, redeemed, called. There’s more—much more—but you get
the idea.
There will be days when you will ask the question
“Who am I?” We all have them. When those days come, run to God’s word, because
therein lies the answer. Just look at the sacrifice that was made for you on
the cross. The answer to the “Who am I?” question is clear: You are worth it.
God decided a long time ago who you are. You don’t
need society or friends or even your parents to tell you who you are.
Once you determine that God decides who you are,
then you’ll have the answer to the main question of the song: “What do I stand
for?” If you are God’s beloved, chosen, redeemed by His sacrifice, and if you
claim those titles for your life, what you stand for should be pretty clear—you
stand for Him.
Is that an easy stand to take in these days? No.
Absolutely not. And I would guess that it will become a more and more difficult
stand to take in the days ahead. But if you really think about it, if you
really get your head around the gospel and who you are because of Jesus, you
have no other choice.
Will that stand look differently in each of your
lives? I’m guessing yes. God will call you down different paths, to different
careers, and to make different choices. But ultimately the decision is yours.
Will you choose to believe that you are who God
made you to be? Or will you choose to believe the lies of this world?
Much different lyrics this time, but the question
remains: “What do I stand for?”
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
What will you stand for?
