There’s a saying that my parents remind me and my brothers of all the time. They always tell us, “When you go out in public remember what you’re representing.” Then, my mom would hold out three fingers and wiggle each one as she names the three different things we are to represent. “First, God and your church. If Jesus was standing right in front of you, would you do what you are doing or about to do?” Then she wiggled her next finger, “Second, your family. Please don’t embarrass us!” Finally, she’d wiggle the third finger. “Last, represent your school. You are going to a very nice school and you want show yourselves as respectable children who go to an incredible school.” My church, family, and my school are the three symbols that I represent.
The cross ranks number one as the most important symbol to me. I am a Christian, and my faith and God are the chief principles in my life. Others, who are not Christians, may have an interpretation of the cross that is different than my own. With this symbol being the most important to me, people might think of me as a “Jesus freak,” but I don’t mind. I accept who I am and the cross, symbolizing Christianity, shows that. This also shows my possible future career of becoming a pastor.
The pastor at my church is a great mentor to me and I look up to him and I can only hope to become as incredible as he. Being a pastor would be a great opportunity because I enjoy learning about the Bible and church, and I enjoy public speaking. I grew up in my church and have been associated with Christ all my life. I respect my religion, denomination, and my place of worship because of its involvement in my growing up. Now, as a teenager, I am a part of a youth group. Together, we go on mission trips, we hang out, and we go to retreats. One very special retreat left me as a new person.
A butterfly may normally symbolize beauty or new life, and although this is accurate, there is a little twist. This past summer, I attended a Methodist retreat with a small group of teenagers who wanted to have an incredible experience. The event that took place is called The Happening. Here, you can experience new, religious awakenings, tremendous love, and an enormous amount of fun. The experience is different for everyone so no one is allowed to tell what goes on at The Happening, like a secret. New experiences over that weekend made me look differently at the world. The butterfly for The Happening symbolizes new life, but as in a new life in Christ with different understandings about Him. The weekend was incredible, and the butterfly symbol will always represent that weekend. My parents were involved during that weekend in a unique way. They explained to me how much they loved me and how special I am to them. Although I am special to them, they are even more special to me.
My family’s love for each other and me is infinite. They also have taught me life lessons and values that have created my morals. Although there may be struggles along the way, my family sticks together. We can teach each other how to become better people by the actions of the other’s doing; we raise each other up to our full potential.
My two role models are my parents. They are smart and wise, and they know so much about life that they can teach me every day. My brothers, although quite obnoxious, can show me the art of sisterhood. When I see their actions, I can set goals for myself on how to be a mature role model for them. Although this may bring out the best in us, it can also bring out the worst. We are similar at times and this can cause us to argue or lash out. Maybe this happens more than once a week, but we always can rebound on our mistakes and love and forgive each other in the end which brings out the happiness and special bond we share together. The Dictionary says that family is “a person or people related to one and so to be treated with a special loyalty or intimacy.” This definition describes us perfectly. We have all the, good and bad, qualities of an exceptional family. Another quality I believe is important is support. They are very supportive of me of whatever I may do in my life, and I to them. Our support system works with church, school, and extracurricular activities, like sports.
One sport I “play” is powerlifting. That’s why my third symbol is a set of weights. I believe I was given a gift of strength, and I apply it in powerlifting. Over the past two years, I have worked with my strength in order to improve. I didn’t realized how strong I was until I broke my first school record. This was monumental. This sport was a pivotal experience of my life. Normally, I was always mediocre at everything and now, only as an eighth grader, I had achieved a new school record and was accepted into two weight categories. Over the past year, I ended the season with three new school records and a member of all of the girl weight categories. This had never been done before at my age and was an incredible surprise to everyone. Much has been accomplished over the past year.
These symbols represent who I am. They show my identity. The cross explains my Christianity and love for God. The butterfly represents the new religious change I have experienced through The Happening. My family shows my morals and views on life. Lastly, the weights show powerlifting; the sport that I love. These are the most important symbols that represent me. I strive every day to respect them. I hope when people see me, they think of me as a good representation of these symbols and myself.
