What do you find your identity in?
If you want to know, just ask yourself, “What am I most afraid of losing?”
In the answer, you’ll find your idol. In that idol, you find your identity.
Tag Archives: Christian writing
Just Know That You Are Loved – My Personal Encounter with an Angel
Two years ago today, on the worst day of my life, I had my first encounter with an angel, at the baggage claim of the RDU airport.
I stood alone, completely wiped out and broken, waiting for my bag to come around on the conveyor belt. There were a few other people waiting for their bags there as well, not many but a few. After about two minutes, my feet could no longer support the dead weight of my body and I sat down on a nearby bench. A young man, I’d guess my age or younger, came and sat down next to me.
“Excuse me,” he interrupted my empty, swollen stare, “Are you okay?” Hardly able to even turn to face him, I nod my head and mutter back, “Yea I’m fine.” My body language was screaming, “LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!” but he persisted. “It isn’t a death, is it?”
“No,” I snap back, justifying my lie with his increasingly annoying invasiveness.
“Okay, well I just wanted to say, I was in love with this girl for many years and we were happily together. I wanted to be engaged and when I asked her to marry me, she said ‘no’ and we broke up. I know it’s not the same…” he continued, despite my lack of response cues, “…but it hurt like hell.”
I managed to look him dead in the eyes this time, “It’s not the same,” I growled, my eyes piercing into him.
Looking forward, I spotted my large, brown, leather suitcase coming around the belt. One of the only ones left. I began to stand up and head towards my bag when the guy said, “Well, here,” as he handed me a 2-dollar bill, “just know that you are loved.”
I hadn’t intended to take the 2-dollar bill but there it was in my hand as I grabbed my bag from the conveyor belt. Dropping the heavy piece of luggage to the ground, I looked up to see my mom running towards me. I gave her a huge hug, momentarily allowing myself to collapse in her arms.
But wait, I wondered aloud, “Where did that guy go?”
“What guy?” my mom replied.
“The guy who just handed me this,” I waved the 2-dollar bill for her to see.
“I didn’t see any guys around, Sweetie. I saw you standing here by yourself. That’s why I came running over.”
In bewilderment, mixed with the still heavy shock of the day’s event, I stumbled towards my mom’s car, “Hmm…” I thought to myself, “Well, that was strange.”
Two years ago today, I lost my best friend in a tragic accident. He wasn’t far from me that day and he’s still as close as ever now.
My angel, I miss you.
Unity First
When it comes to the issues of conscientiousness in the Bible, for example alcohol, use of profanity, piercings, tattoos ect, I believe you ought to develop your own convictions about these things, and then try your very best not to offend anyone else’s.
Afterall, it’s not about the laws or how well you keep them, but about what God has already done for you, through his son Jesus Christ, and what He continues to do in your heart today.
In short, find unity around Jesus and don’t let that unity be divided by something secondary.
My Philosophy on Forgiveness
If it were up to me and me alone, I’d make you feel the pain and hurt you just as you’ve hurt me. But I know a route that starts with love and ends in love, just like a circle. It’s a healing route; life changing and fulfilling all the same. And so I choose to take with you, the path that Jesus took with me. It is the only path that works and my hope rests in its effectiveness.
A Moment of Venting
What you really owe me is an apology. For treating me as your inferior, for neglecting me, for taking advantage of my kindness and patience. Yes, you owe me an apology.
But I do not expect one from you.
Although your behavior would suggest you’re an awful person, I refuse to succumb to such a belief. I choose instead to believe in your goodness and continue to love you.
I choose to believe that your actions stem out of your own defensiveness, a protection you’ve formed for yourself, and I feel for you. You must have been burned many times to form a protective shell as hard as yours. You must be very hurt to hurt others as you do.
Judging you is not my place, but I will continue to pray for you. Acting out or seeking revenge is not the path I plan to take. Instead, I will love you and forgive you and hope you begin to see that there’s good in this world- that you’re safe after all.
I Have No Questions That God Chose Me
I have no questions that God chose me. How can I be so sure? Because I believe in Him and Jesus Christ as my Savior. I could not have come to this belief by my own free will. It can only be explained by the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace at work within me.
I am quite certain that He chose me because if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him. And it must be true in my case that He chose me before I was born, because He certainly would never have chosen me afterwards. And I know that He elected me for reasons unbeknownst to me, because I could never find any reason in myself why He should look upon me with such unconditional love.
Don’t Waste Your White Space
Don’t waste your white space. Just because you don’t think anything is going on in your life, doesn’t mean God’s not at work. He uses white space, the down time of our lives, to prepare us. It is standard practice in His method of preparation. Look at any of His chosen ones. Paul was chosen yet God took nearly two decades to prepare him.
YOU, TOO, ARE HIS CHOSEN ONE! So don’t underestimate the times in your life when it seems like you’re not moving forward. “The White Space” is God’s garden in His preparation for your blossoming. It is where He does His best work in preparing you for His calling on your life.
Remember, God calls you first to Himself and then only secondarily to a task. That means, that what God is doing IN you is just as important, if not more important, than what He is doing THROUGH you. So if He is taking longer than you expected to fulfill what He promised in your life, respond with faith. He always keeps His promises. And definitely, definitely, don’t waste your white space.
God – The Master Craftsman
This morning as I was walking my dog before work, I had a moment of clarity and awe that I want to now share with you.
The weather is getting warmer here and the birds were out in full force this morning. It occurred to me just how complex their way of being is. Together, they formed a cacophony of sounds which I can only assume were claims of territory. They all appeared to be staking out their domain in preparation for Spring.
God, who made us, also made these birds and formed the complex system by which they operate. How amazing! Knowing this, I wonder, how can we ever doubt God’s goodness and love?! It only takes a few short minutes of observing the birds to know that He is a master of detail.
This should put a lot into perspective when you really stop to consider it. As complex as He made the birds, He made us with that much more precision. And although this complexity contributes to much of our anxiety and confusion on Earth, it shouldn’t. It is this very complexity that should, instead, overwhelm us with wonder and direct out eyes in awe towards the Master Craftsman who created it all.
Each of us are beautifully and uniquely designed in our own right, by a God who cares deeply about every last detail of our lives, even the birds.
You Can’t Take Someone Down From Their Own Cross
It’s hard to see someone you love in pain. It’s an instinct of love, I think, to want to help the other. But who are we to say pain is a bad thing?
You can spend hours, days, weeks, or even years trying to help your loved one heal. But you have to protect yourself in the process because you alone, of course, cannot heal them. You can’t take someone down from their own cross.
Jesus Chose You First
It’s amazing to think about it. Jesus chose you first. He chooses you and then, you choose Him. God puts the Holy Spirit inside of you and then, in a moment of miraculous grace, He gives you the faith to call out to Him. And thus, begins your life long (and life altering) relationship with God.
Let’s not forget how it is in this way that we came to be in relationship with God. When you acknowledge this, you begin to grasp the depth of His love for you. You are chosen by God! Unconditionally loved by Him. You are special. Dwell in that. Let God be your valentine.