Are You a Character?

 One thing I enjoy doing is acting. It doesn’t have to be in a play, though I have done that. Many times, if you see me teach, you will see me act like other people, use accents, quote movies, and more. I’m not going to lie; I enjoy pretending to be someone else even if it just for a short time. You know, you can get caught up in acting like another character. 

But the word character has more than one meaning. There are characters like a book or movie characters. Then there is character like what you do when no one is watching. There are times I will pretend to be someone else when I am by myself for my own entertainment. But most of the time I am with someone else who I am trying to get to laugh, or I am just in the mood to act like someone else.

Now there is no problem with pretending to be someone or something else. In fact, I encourage my students to do that because it sparks their creativity and helps them grow cognitively. The problem occurs when we pretend to be someone, we are not all the time. Or when we choose not to have character when no one is watching.

Proverbs 10:9 says, “whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” Part of having character is being honest. It is being real and authentic. It is choosing to do the right thing even when no one is watching. If we don’t do those things not only are we sinning, but we are not being who God made us to be. God created us and loves us. He made us unique and special. If we pretend to be someone we are not then we are going against our creator. That’s why we must choose integrity, authenticity, and character.

So, are you choosing to have character each day? How can you be yourself with others and rest in who God made you to be?

https://youtu.be/UkX628cAtO4?si=8QLJknJLmzWeU4QB

Who You Are

   We have all gone through that time of life: middle school-early adult years. That is the time where we search for answers: why are we here? Who are we? Who do we want to be? All of these questions have to do with our identity. I think that's why many movies enjoy focusing on identity a lot; it is something we are all searching for.
   In the movie Moana, a young child named Moana, is chosen by the ocean to restore the heart of an island. Moana goes through many trials until she gets to the point where it is too hard to continue. She begins to wonder why the ocean chose her. She did not feel special at all and wanted to give up. Of course, Moana just needed a reminder of who she was. 
   Moana was called because she stood apart from the rest of her people. She never gave up (until that point). She realized that the call is inside her just like the call is inside us. She realized that her heart was for her people and doing what was best for them even if it was hard. That's why she was chosen. She would not have been able to complete her mission if she did not figure out where her heart was.
   Just like Moana, we are chosen. When we are born God wants us to come to him. He calls us. We all go through different trials in our lives. We have a choice, we can choose to give up and walk away from our destiny. Or, we can be like Moana and never give up even when it's hard. In those times we need to remember we were chosen for a reason. We are children of God. We need to lean on him for strength and do what he calls us to do.
   So, do you believe you are chosen for a reason? Will you choose to never give up on what God calls you to do? What can you do to remember who you are, and why you were called, when trials come?

   John 1:12 and Romans 12:1-21

When Insecurities Come Up...

   I am a person who enjoys joking around and picking on my friends. It is one way that I show my love and show I care about people. I also enjoy picking on my sister’s friends. 
   One day we were at my sister’s soccer game. We were waiting for the game to start. My sister was with her friends and I was with the coaches. I knew that one of my sister’s friends did not like it when I stared at her. I started staring to see how long it would take her to notice that I was staring at her. My sister’s friend finally noticed.
   My sister’s  friend looked at me then looked away. I chuckled and my sister’s friend decided to whisper something to my sister. Now, I know teenage girls because I was one at some point in my life. And I knew this girl didn’t actually say anything to my sister. She was just pretending that she did say something so that I would freak out or stop looking at her.
I looked over at my sister and I said, “she didn’t actually say anything, did she?” My sister laughed and so did her friend. Then my sister confirmed that her friend did not actually say anything. 
   This whole situation got me thinking, “why exactly did my sister’s friend pretend to say something?” She did it because she wanted me to stop looking at her. But, she also did it because she was insecure. She was insecure because I was looking at her and she thought that I was making judgements about her. That’s how girls are. They/We assume that we are not good enough and every one is judging us.
   Then, if we feel insecure, we want to take the insecurity, or attention, off of us. My sister’s  friend did this by pretending to whisper about me. I knew this was all a game because we have played it before. But, there was a time in my life where I would have thought about what my sister’s friend said about me. I would have let that insecurity fester until all I thought about was what my sister’s friend said.
   But, I did not do that because I have changed.  I know that it does not matter what others think about me because I have God with me. All that matters is that I know my identity is in God. If I have peace in him then no matter what people say about me, think about me, or do to me doesn’t matter. I have confidence in myself through God. 
   No matter what age you are you will face people who do not like you, have opinions about you, and will do mean things to you. But, if you have faith and trust in God then it doesn’t matter what they say or do. The things of this world are temporary. We can choose to forgive those who hurt us because we have been forgiven much.
   So, do you care too much about what others think about you? Do you know your identity is in Christ? Will you choose to trust in God and forgive others?
   John 1:12 and 2 Timothy 12:7 

Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum: Lessons from Camp YoliJwa

All this week I was on vacation at Camp YoliJwa. While there we swam, played games like 9 square, and taught a class of 1st-4th graders.
All week we talked about how we are made in the image of God. We did this by talking about how we need to know who we are in God, we need to grow in him, come alongside others, serve others, and go spread the good news. 
Since out main theme was made, we taught the children a song called Different Drum by Blanca (Link to video here). In the song it talks about how "we're not a copy of the status quo, we're cut from the cloth of the original... all you need to try to be is who you're made to be." This is what we focused on this week. We discussed how we think that our identity is who we are/what we do. But if our identity is what we do, then our identity is always changing. We need to be ourselves because that's who God made us to be. And, the identity that stays constant is that we are children of God.  
Another part of the song says "we're gonna march to the beat of a different drum." This lyric reminds us that we are set apart. We do not walk in the ways of the world. Since we are children of God we need to remember that and walk in his ways. That way people will realize that we are different and realize that they too are children of God.
So, do you know that you are "not a copy of the status quo?" Do you believe that you are a child of God? Will you "march to the beat of a different drum?"

John 1:12, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 2:10

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