An Ispiring Vet.

Marine Corporal Aaron Mankin after 65 surgeries

 Aaron Mankin was severely burned in Iraq when the vehicle he was riding in hit a roadside bomb, killing 4 of his buddies.  In 2007 he was the first patient accepted to  Operation Mend at UCLA. 65 surgeries 8.5 years later he is traveling speaking to and encouraging other veterans.  
Watching his interview this morning on the Today Show, I was struck by his attitude and words.  
"So much in life you can’t control,  your power is in that you can choose to dictate how you respond. I made a choice; a choice that no one will dictate who I am."

So many of us let our Identity be dictated by what the world says about us. What we wear, where we work, what you drive, where you live, who’s your Spouse and who are your parents or children. When in fact as Aaron said, “Beauty is who you are not how you look.”  Or what you have or who your family is, I would add.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17)  This means you get a new identity.

Like Aaron stated, there is so much in life we cannot control. Make the same choice as Aaron did, the choice that no one will dictate who you are.  We need to use our power to live more like Christ lived, and let God dictate who we are and how we respond.