Advice your mother gave you stays with you all your life, right?

When I was a college freshman and going on a spring break trip to New York City with friends, my mother sent me off with this advice: “Remember who you are and what you represent.”

At the time, of course, my friends and I took this “advice” less seriously than it deserved. Not that we had any intention of doing anything our parents would have disapproved of, but we were excited to explore the big city on our own.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate Mother’s advice and even pass it on to my kids. Later, I made a slight revision that I know Mother would have appreciated: “Remember Whose you are and what you represent.”

For those of us who have made the decision to follow Jesus, following this advice is not an option. We belong to Christ, and we should represent Him in everything we do.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV).

Of course, we aren’t perfect this side of heaven, so we will mess up sometimes. But if we want to represent Christ, we’ll ask for forgiveness and seek His help to change our behavior and rectify our mistakes. That may take the form of humbling ourselves, apologizing to someone we hurt or admitting we were wrong. It’s all part of living the Christian life. We have to remember that we belong to Him and that our goal is to glorify God in all we do.

What’s the best advice you ever received from your mother?