God is in the business of changing people. That is what He does, and He is pretty good at it. Throughout the course of the year, many people have written to me saying “Wow, you’re like a totally different person!” “Well,” I think to myself, “I dont feel like a
different person.” But I dont think Im the same either. Don’t worry my friends, I still have my bad, but witty humor, I still act like an idiot, and have dance moves that would put Michael Jackson to shame. But deep within me something has changed. I feel a hunger, a burning passion for Jesus, like my heart is on fire. Sometimes I feel like there is something physically inside of my chest that was not there before, something that is about to burst out of me. I cannot define it, nor can I quantify it, but it is there. Something intangible, yet very real.
God has been stripping away the parts of me that can be thrown away. He has been pruning me, tossing the rubbish in the fire. Pride, jealousy, lust, selfishness, greed, being peeled back like the skin of a banana. Here I am, feeling naked and exposed . No longer am I able to keep up the pretty little barriers. Ha! My teammates see too much of me for me to pretend anymore. But like cookie dough thats been sitting in the fridge too long, you gotta pick off the crusty pieces so you can bake delicious cookies (might be a stretch, but use your imagination). Many of these crusty pieces I was not even really aware of. But through God’s mercy they are slowly falling away. This is the beauty of the journey that God has us on. This is the road to discover who I am, who God is, and how the two fit together.
So I am still Eric, I havent lost any of my Eric-ness. I am in fact more Eric today than I ever was, because I am more like Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a loong way to go and by no means am I calling myself perfect. But Jesus has put His heart inside of me. And His fire burns within me. I guess that is what happens when one decides to follow Jesus.
