Growing into Who You Are Meant to Be

   If you have not noticed by now I have certain themes I enjoy writing about. A few of them are children, change, identity, and growth. The reason why I enjoy writing about these is because they have made a major impact in my life. As well as the fact that I feel like it is important for people to continue to grow in these areas.

   While at Lancaster Bible College, I took a philosophy class. In that class we discussed identity. The professor refuted ideas that identity is found in the body, mind, and brain because those things are always changing. Thus, if those represent your identity then your identity is always changing. He then said your core identity is found in your soul. I agree that our identity is found in our soul. It is the belief at our core that says we are children of God.

   Our identity is consistent throughout our lives. But, we change and grow as we are called to do (Colossians 1:9-10). There is an Alice in Wonderland quote that says: “I knew who I was this morning but I’ve changed a few times since then.” Most of the time when we hear the word “change” it makes us nervous.  Because it means that our consistency is gone and that we need to get out of our comfort zone. And yet, we are called to change and grow.

   The Alice quote embodies this idea perfectly. I know I have gone through many ups and downs in my life. But, those challenges and experiences have shaped me into who I am today. You may have known me when I was in high school but I have grown and changed since then. You may have even seen me yesterday but I have even changed since then. Every day we gain new experiences that teach us things, if we allow them to. We should always try to grow and change for the better.

   So, are you trying to grow/change for the better? Do you realize that people you knew years ago may have changed for the better?

   John 1:12, Philippians 4:6-7, Proverbs 3:5-6

Father's Day: Going to War

   It’s Father’s Day. It is the day we honor our fathers’. Fathers have a big responsibility. They are to lead their family, be an example for others, and to live up to the ideas of what a father is in their respective cultures.

   The movie War Room is a story about Tony and Elizabeth Jordan. Tony Jordan is a man who is in good shape, has a great job, makes a lot of money, has a big house, a shiny new car, and a daughter. He is a man who seems to have it all together to any outsider. But, Tony is not close with his wife or his daughter. He is on the brink of making some bad life choices because he wants what he wants when he wants it. He thinks that he deserves all the good things in life.

   Meanwhile his wife gets verbally and emotionally abused. She thinks Tony may be seeing another woman. Their daughter, Danielle, lives in a house where her parents fight all the time. Her father seems to not care about her at all.

This is a broken home. We could point fingers at just one person but sometimes it is not just one persons’ fault. Yes, it is the father’s job to be the head of the household. It is the father’s job to be a Godly example. But, in this household no one is leaning on God.

   There are many different households in this world. Each household is run in a different way because everyone is different. That is just how God made us, unique. However, every household can be fixed if the people in the household lean on God. That means spending daily time with God in his word and praying to him.

   Every man, woman, and child needs to trust God in all situations because God does have a plan. Even when it seems hopeless, even when it seems like you can go down any farther, and even when it seems like God has crossed your line of safety remember that he is our hope. He is the one we look up to and he crossed that line just so that we would have faith in him.

   So, are you willing to lean on God through any situation? Will you pray and trust that God has a plan for all of your battles? Men, are you willing to step up and be the Godly example your family needs?

   Proverbs 3:5-6, Titus 2:6-7, Philippians 4:6-7

When Your Mood Ring Changes Color...

   Last year my family took a trip to Gettysburg. While we were there we got to look around the tourist shops. I have always liked mood rings and while we were there I finally got one. I have been wearing it every once in a while. What is interesting about it is that I can look down and see that it is purple then the next minute it is green.

   I realize that mood rings are based off of temperature and not your actual moods. But, moods and emotions can change in an instant because of what we are going through. You could be having a great day then someone cuts you off in traffic. Your day has gone from great to horrible.

   As Christians we are called to be positive and let our light shine for Christ. Our light will not shine if we are unhappy or angry all the time because most people are unhappy or angry. In order for us to have a positive attitude we must learn self-control. We need to have control over our emotions. When someone cuts us off in traffic we can choose to get upset or we can choose to let it go. We choose whether or not we look at the positives or negatives in life.

   Is it easy to control our emotions? No, it is not easy to do that. In fact, we cannot control our emotions on our own all the time. We can ask for help though. We can ask God to help us control our emotions. In those times we get cut off, we can ask God to help us stay calm.

   So, do you have control over your emotions? If not, what can you do to help gain control over your emotions?

   2 Peter 1:5-7, 2 Timothy 1:7, Proverbs 16:32

I am a Rebel

   At this point you are probably wondering if I was raised right but, if you stay with me, you will see that you too are a rebel. From the beginning of humankind we have all be rebels in one way or another. Adam and Eve were the first rebels. They rebelled against God. They chose to disobey him. And, guess what? You choose to rebel against God too.

   Every time you sin, hurt someone else, or chose to do something you know is wrong you rebel against God. It is in our nature to rebel. BUT (I just love saying that word don’t you? It just screams hope). Anyhow, we were given the option to choose. We can follow our own desires and rebel against God, or we can choose to follow him. I do not know about you, but I have chosen to follow Jesus. Which means I am no longer a rebel right? Wrong!

   I am still a rebel in more ways than one. I still sometimes chose to rebel against God but now I have a mediator who intercedes on my behalf. Jesus is my lawyer and he makes sure I am never guilty in the eyes of God because he paid the price for my sins. If I’m not a rebel in that way then how am I a rebel?

   I am still a rebel because now I rebel against the ways of the world. John 15:18 says that the world hates Christ and those who follow him. Why does the world hate us? It is because we stand for everything they hate. We stand for freedom from sin. We stand for morality. We stand for God. The world hates God and morality. They hate being told they are wrong. They hate Christians because we are “holier than thou.”

   When we become Christians we become a different kind of rebel. We repent and turn back to God. We no longer try to cheat, steal, lie, etc. We may slip up but we are forgiven. And, that is what the world does not understand. When we become Christians we try not to sin anymore but we mess up. That is why the world hates us. They cannot understand why we are different. They cannot understand why we choose to try not to sin. They cannot understand the forgiveness and happiness we have through Christ.

   So, what can we do to get those who rebel against God to turn back to him? Honestly, we cannot do much. We need to leave most of it up to the Holy Spirit. But, we can show the world how we are a different kind of rebel. We can show them that we chose not to do certain things because we are following a new commander. That’s how others will choose to join the right rebellion.
   John 15:18-27, Psalm 68:6, John 14:26

Decisions at the Carnival

   I have had some pretty crazy dreams during my life. One that I can remember really well took place at a carnival. There were two types of game booths. One booth you would play the game and get candy no matter what. At the other booth you would play for tickets, which meant that you would not always win. And, you could win a lot of tickets or none.

   In my dream I walked around the carnival many times. I was trying to decide if I should go for the sure thing and get candy, or if I should go for the risky thing where I might not be rewarded. It seemed like the better prizes were ones you had to get with tickets. But that meant I had to figure out which booth I would excel at so I could get as many tickets as possible.

   I walked and walked around the carnival trying to make a decision but I never did make a decision. I woke up from this dream wondering why exactly I had this dream. Then, after thinking about it I realized this dream relates a lot to life.

   Many times we are faced with decisions in life where we can choose right or wrong, left or right, easy or hard, etc. Many times, when faced with a tough decision, we choose either the easy way or the third option: we do not make a decision at all.

   In my dream I did not make a decision because I took too long to think about it. I could have taken the easy way but I knew that I could do better than that. However, a part of me still wanted to take the easy way.

   This is just like our Christian walk. We can choose to take the easy way, but a part of us will always say “is that the right choice?” An example would be if you have friends who are gossiping about someone else. You could take the easy way and just stand there, or even join in. The other option is you could take the hard way and ask them to stop or walk away. But, in the time it takes to make that decision someone’s feelings could have already been hurt.

   As Christians we know the truth. We know what is right and what is wrong. We just need to choose to do the right thing right away. I know that is difficult but if you do not make that decision in time you may just end up with no prizes when you are at the carnival ;)

   So, do you take the easy way when you know it isn’t right? Do you take forever to choose to do the right thing? What can you do in order to make the right choice quicker?

   James 4:7, James 1:5, Matthew 7:13-14

Graduation: The Importance of THAT Piece of Paper

   Today is the day that all students look forward to. Today is the day of graduation. It’s a time of laughter, excitement, sadness, and nervousness. But, once the graduate gets that diploma it is a time of happiness for everyone because that is what he/she worked for.

   Whether you graduate from high school or college you earn a diploma or degree. This piece of paper gives you power. But, as Spider-man says: “with great power comes great responsibility.” Many students who graduate may think that that piece of paper gives you the power to have a better life. I mean you were in school for 12+ years of your life. All of that was to prepare you for adulthood and the real world. Now that you have passed all your tests you get to have a great life, right?

   I’ll tell you right now; when you graduate it is far from peaches and cream. Sure, it is nice that you finally get to be in the world and earn money. This piece of paper is not a ticket to the good life. Rather, it is your ticket to change the world.

   We need to care about others and make a difference in the world. Our main purpose in life is to reflect God’s glory. In order to do this we cannot just think of ourselves. We need to work hard to help others. Helping may look different to everyone. For a construction worker it may be working hard to make homes for others to the best of his/her ability. For a physical therapist it may be working hard to make someone feel better.

   You get the point: whatever we decide to do we need to do it with 100% effort. That is the way that we will reflect God’s glory. That is the way that you can change the world.

   So, will you choose to change the world? Will you work your hardest and to the best of your ability? Will you reflect God’s glory?

   1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17, 2 Timothy 2:15