Standing Firm

Years ago, I hired a landscaper to redo several areas of the yard. However, the landscaper’s plan involved pulling up everything and starting with a clean palate. Included in the design was getting rid of three hydrangea bushes I purchased and planted the summer my mother was dying. I refused that plan. The landscaper didn’t understand my sentimental attachment to these hydrangeas, nor the comfort and hope they provided the summer my mother died and every summer since.

Instead, we moved the hydrangeas to a different location. Now, I see them from my office window. Each year, they live up to their name, “Endless Summer,” blooming from May to September. They remind me that life cycles come and go, that regrowth appears on barren sticks, that flowers return and bring joy, even in times of difficulty and hardship.

Often, we encounter those who think we should rearrange, or totally gut, certain aspects of our lives. In the last year, numerous people have advised, even forcefully pushed, me to sell my house. The first such encounter came a mere two weeks after Jim’s death.

Thankfully, my children are not among these pushers. I’ve lived in this house longer than any other place. It is the home where our children grew up and the place our grandchildren know as Glam and Bop’s. This house holds a treasure trove of memories, so why would I leave it?

Sometimes, it’s hard to stand firm, holding to your convictions when people pour on the pressure, but don’t let them talk you into doing something you know isn’t right for you.

Health Convictions

For many years, I’ve followed the discipline of exercising six days a week. I’ve also followed the practice of intermittent fasting. The idea of intermittent fasting really bothered one of my family members. This person repeatedly told me intermittent fasting was “not normal,” and I shouldn’t do it. However, I’ve seen the benefits and didn’t allow this disapproval to sway me.

Personal Convictions

I choose a lifestyle that many would label boring. I’ve maintained a life-long policy of abstaining from alcohol. I made the decision as a pre-teen and I’ve stuck to it, even when pressured.

In the secular writing sphere, editors assigned articles that I refused to write because they diverged from my personal beliefs. One editor suggested I change a personal story in a way that made it more exciting, but also untruthful. I refused.

Our culture encourages compromising beliefs and convictions to fit changing patterns of behavior. I’m not willing to do that, even if I lose contracts or connections because of it.

Faith Convictions

I’m thankful for my parents, who had strong faith convictions and modeled them for me. In our ever-changing world, some have compromised faith to fit culture, but that is faulty.

When we fail to maintain faith convictions, absolute truth becomes muddled and beliefs shaky. My faith is built on a strong foundation, so when the storms of life threaten to pull me under, my faith holds me fast, anchoring me to the Rock and allowing me to sustain forward motion.

How about you? Are you standing firm in your beliefs, or have you let culture, or the opinions of others, transport you to shifting sands?

“So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart)” (Ephesians 6:14 AMP).

©CandyArrington

Candy Arrington is an award-winning writer, blogger, and speaker. She often writes on tough topics with a focus on moving through, and beyond, difficult life circumstances. Candy has written hundreds of articles, stories, and devotions published by numerous outlets including: Inspiration.org, Arisedaily.com, CBN.com, Healthgrades.com, Care.com, Focus on the Family, NextAvenue.org, CountryLiving.com, and Writer’s Digest. Candy’s books include Life on Pause: Learning to Wait Well (Bold Vision Books), When Your Aging Parent Needs Care (Harvest House), and AFTERSHOCK: Help, Hope, and Healing in the Wake of Suicide (B&H Publishing Group).

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