Peer Pressure

artwork by Sandra Casali LewAllen

Dear readers:

All of us have felt peer pressure at one time or another. No one wants to feel like he or she is on the outside looking in. In Olivia and the Little Way, Olivia is torn between wanting to fit in with her new friends and doing what she knows is the right thing. Here she is pictured on Halloween night with Hayley, one of the "cool" girls in the fifth grade. Olivia is dressed as a chef and Hayley is dressed as a rock star. Mrs. LewAllen does a great job capturing Olivia's concerned expression as she watches Hayley put on makeup to go with her costume. Olivia has found herself yet again in a moment of choice: she can do the right thing or the wrong thing. What she ultimately decides to do I won't share here, but it makes a big impact on her.

The next time, like Olivia, you are caught in a moment of choice between good and bad, always think of God and His ultimate plan for you. Does it fit in with His hopes and desires for you? If the answer is no, you know what to do...or not to do.