I asked God what He thinks of me and was blown away by what He told me. Among other things, He told me that I have a voice and that I have something to say. Can that be true? I don’t believe I have anything to say! I just want to create but sometimes believe the lie that I don’t have ONE creative bone in my body. I feel like I have an appreciation for beautiful things but I don’t know how to produce them.
This has not always been the case though. When I was younger I loved to create things. I was very interested in art and I loved to write stories. Where did that come from and how do I find that again? Somewhere along the way, I felt I lost my creativity. I lost my confidence in my ability to produce something beautiful. My 12-year-old self would not approve. What happened to the photo-journalist/novelist who wanted to be a rock star and interior designer in her spare time?
This has got me thinking about my walk with Jesus. I have been learning a lot about relying on my own strength vs relying on Jesus. I became a Jesus follower when I was 15 years old. But, there was a missing piece I had been told but didn’t understand. It didn’t made sense to me until I learned about grace.
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
I’m a new person?!?! What does that mean? It means I died with Jesus on the cross and I rose with him as a new creation.
I am perfect and blameless in His sight
I can’t tell you how many times I have read 2 Corinthians 5:17. But the true meaning behind this verse wasn’t clear to me until I learned about my identity in Christ. On the cross, Jesus died for my sins. But it’s also where I died. I was crucified with Christ on the cross, and I have risen in Him a new creation. My old self has died and I am alive in Him, without wrinkle or blemish.
Now that’s good news! It changes the way I see myself when I know how God sees me. I am no longer trying to be someone I think I should be. I am already exactly who God wants me to be and He is perfectly happy with me. I am infinitely loved by the Father. Which means, if I mess up and someone takes away one unit of love from me (or a thousand, or a million)? It doesn’t matter because God, in Jesus, is my source for love and acceptance. Infinity minus one million is still infinity. That’s a good feeling. The question then becomes, how do I live my life with this knowledge?
Writing is a way for me to process through this understanding in my life. It’s a daily renewal of Christ in me. I want to document the ways that it impacts every part of my life. How will God’s grace in me impact my love for my family? Or the way I interact with people I work with or meet around town? How do I see the world through grace? That’s the message I want to give. I’m looking forward to seeing where God takes me as I grow in Him.
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