In this day in age consumed by high speed everything, instant gratification in less than 140 characters, and a daily social media photo album from every person you know, it has become increasingly easier to live as inauthentic people. When you allow the world to see only the “perfect” version of ourselves, it’s tempting to confuse our identity with the facade we create. Screening every Instagram post and Snap Chat to fit a falsified version of who we are only encourages us to become increasingly more critical of ourselves. Seeing this theme play out in my own life has led me to believe we won’t find true identity in Christ until we can take a pure and honest look at who we are, imperfections and all. Then, knowing our brokenness, we find healing and redemption in the only one who is truly Good and Pure- Jesus Christ, our Savior. Even as I write these words, I know the struggle of being open and authentic in every area of my life.
God has been a part of my life since before I can remember. I knew Him in Sunday-school lessons, in songs at church, in grace before dinner and prayers before bed, and in pictures and words written in books at my house. But it was all inconsequential until God found me at a small church camp one summer. It was at that camp I realized God and Jesus weren’t just words in a book or stories from long ago- God is my creator, my savior, and my ultimate hope. The knowledge of His love and purpose for my life was the pivotal truth I had unknowingly been searching for.
That’s when God really began teaching me what living like a believer looked like. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as easy as it seemed at church camp. I wrestled with my faith a lot, arguing with God that I knew better and He just simply didn’t understand what I was feeling or why I couldn’t go against the status quo. Divorced parents, adjusting poorly to a blended family, high school insecurities, and fear of failure and isolation were trials that tested my character and my faith. Admitting my struggles got in the way of my seemingly perfect, put-together facade I worked hard to keep impenetrable. It took a long while for God to soften my heart; I was the epitome of a horse brought to water but who refused to drink. Praises in the highest that He never gave up on my brokenness. He won battle after battle and each time my faith was strengthened a little bit more. Some of the most fruitful times came from climbing out of some low points in life. I began to grasp what Grace and Redemption truly felt like and learned how to find freedom through forgiveness.
Everything about my love for those who are impoverished and broken-hearted stems directly from the moment God chose me and pulled me out of darkness, into light. Today I still struggle and fall and fail. God still has to pick up the pieces when I forget my plans pale in comparison to the story He wrote for me. But despite it all, He still calls me higher, to take part in the most beautiful love story ever told. My genuine hope for the World Race is that God would use me to bless and teach others the truth of God’s perfect, redeeming love. Because if there is one thing I have learned, it’s that God uses broken people to radically heal a broken world.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2nd Corinthians 12:9
