Dare to Standout

   Human eyes have that embedded curiosity that draws them to whatever visually jumps out of their line of vision. They zero-in on the subject, focus on it and shift our train of thought to the re-composed perspective that now becomes the focal point.

   Whether you like it or not, whatever it is in you that grabs the eye, would most certainly pull you into the spotlight. You could be the best, the worst or perhaps just simply different from the rest, the attention would be on you. There is no escape.

   Here is a story of a fourteen-year old ambitious girl
 who ran for Junior Representative for her high school Student Council. She was up against the other candidates who were not only popular but also had influential friends campaigning for them. Being unknown and the underdog in gaining votes, one would think that the odds of getting elected would be a futile attempt. But although the chance of winning was stumpy, she was not discouraged. Quite persistent and unrelenting, she dared to standout.

   With her clever and well calculated strategy, she turned the table around to her advantage. She capitalized on the uniqueness of her name that had some students laughing at it because it was unheard of and hard to pronounce. She used it in the catchy slogans and taglines of her campaign. Furthermore, she had one edge that her competition did not have _ a supportive father who strongly believed in her. Her father fuelled her confidence. Together they worked on her powerful campaign posters and banners with eye-grabbing graphics and well-coordinated colours. Her highly effective signs drew so much attention. Curiosity infected the entire school. Everybody was asking, “Who is this girl?”

   Halfway to the election date, students in hallways, parking lots, gymnasium and the cafeteria, were cheering for her, pronouncing her name the proper way. It was a sure thing, she was gaining grounds. She was on her way to victory.

   She won the position, paving the way to more achievements. In her senior year, she stood before her fellow graduates with her emotionally inspiring valedictory speech. The audience was electrified and acknowledged her with thundering applause and a standing ovation. She could be likened to a penny surrounded with silver quarters. She stood out among the crowd. And just like a penny that appears worthless on its own, is actually a dollar when added to 99 cents.

   There is always a penny in every dollar, but never a dollar in a penny. We are all like pennies. Let us all be the 100th cent of every dollar. No matter how simple and how insignificant we think we are, we can make a difference in this world.

   When Jesus formed his disciples, he picked out the seemingly insignificant men. After guiding them, they stood out and became outstanding within the circle of Christian faith. Except for Judas, he also stood out, but out of the circle. And outside _ he stood.

   So, dare to standout. It is when you standout that you become outstanding.