For as long as I can remember I've worked very hard at pleasing people. Choosing to believe they had certain expectations about me and trying to live up to them. This trip has made me recognize that the only expectations I need to work at living up to are the ones Jesus has laid out for us.
Being a Christian means being different. So chances are the world is going to think you're weird. When I choose to pray for a meal, especially if that's in public some find that weird. When I choose to keep physical intimacy out of a relationship at over 30, people have said that's strange. When people read about how I heard God's voice speaking to me and that He gave me spiritual gifts I'm sure a handful thought it was borderline crazy. However, all these things and more are asked of us if we desire to lead a Christ-centered life. Now that I have been fully living a life that is lead by the works of Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the voice of God I wouldn't want to go back living without them.
When I walked in brokenness, I realize now, all I did was disrespect the cross. So much so, that when I recognized sin in my life I shrugged my shoulders saying, "I've done it before and God will forgive me." Or "Everyone else is living this way why does it matter?" Well, yes, He forgives, but He also hates our sin. So much so, He sent His only son as a sacrifice to cover sins eternally. Yet, many of us choose to slap Jesus in the face by sinning even once we recognize we're in the midst of it. Why don't we walk away from it?
Time is running out for us to choose mediocre lives for Christ. Too many Americans have heard about Jesus and let the world shape our views. Here, in Malaysia, these people have never heard about the sacrifice that was made for them. We hear it all the time and some of us even tell others we are Christians, but are you really? Being Christian means being different, means being a follower of Christ, means being obedient to Him until the end.
The good news that I have learned and started to walk in, which allows me to be whole once again, is that God promises we don't have to do any of this in our own strength! I needed to overcome my shortcomings and Jesus has helped me to make this happen. Read my blog titled Getting Over Myself or What to Expect When You're Expecting. I've learned how to forgive and love in ways I never thought I was capable of. God has revealed so much of who He has created me to be simply because I have chosen obedience and to follow Him with reckless abandon. My prayer for every reader of this blog is that you would also desire to know who He created you to be; and that you would ask Him to reveal these things to you.
