1.
Don’t you love a gritty testimony? We’ve all been touched by a story of bad-turned-good. It’s in our nature. It’s easy to give God the glory when someone shares a story about the depths from which they were pulled.
But what if you’ve never really been bad? What if you’ve been following the rules your whole life? What if you got saved at a harvest festival at the ripe old sinful age of three?
From what, then, did Jesus’ death & resurrection save me?
There’s not much to write after this. I’m still forming the answer. I know that it involves words like sin and self-righteousness and pride, all of which are just as isolating as words like alcoholism and murder.
2.
Jesus never focused on building his reputation. He spent most of His time in shady scenarios, head high and skin thick. He hung out with the worst of the worst, in order to offer them the best of the best.
I still can’t figure out why I care so much about what people think of me. It’s embarrassing to admit that I put more more emphasis on my reputation than I do my character.
What’s worse, I worry about my reputation under the guise of Christianity. As if it gives me a free pass to obsess over others’ perception of me. I can’t be misunderstood! I might misrepresent Jesus! Twisted, right? Jesus doesn’t need my sterling reputation to show people His love.
I’m feeling painfully convicted by these two issues, but oh so unbelievably refreshed. The Lord is doing tremendous things on my heart right now through this book, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Can’t wait to read about your experiences with these chapters, ladies!
Next Thursday, we’ll be covering Chapters 6-8. Enjoy!
9 Comments
This sounds exactly like me. I have spent nearly every minute of my pre-teen, teenage, and adult life NOT doing things I want to do, NOT saying things I’d like to say, NOT going places I’d like to go all because I care about what other people are going to think of me (and these things I speak of aren’t even remotely “bad”!) Sometimes I wonder what I’ve missed out on by keeping myself hidden and being anxious. I’m always worried about people judging me and being dubbed a “bad person”. For what? Anyway, this post struck me to the core! Thanks for writing it :)
Ughhh your comment made my stomach turn. We are twins.
i think i could have written this: ‘It’s embarrassing to admit that I put more more emphasis on my reputation than I do my character.’
thanks for the reminder of what’s important. thanks for the conviction ;)
Then I’ll have to turn around and thank Emily, who will turn around and thank the Holy Spirit ;)
About 2 years ago I was a leader for a small group of 8th grade girls. As part of the curriculum, we helped them learn how to effectively share their testimony with their peers. It was alternately amusing and heartwarming to hear their stories develop. I will never forget one girl coming up to me to talk, in tears, she was lamenting the fact that she “didn’t have a good story” She had been a Christian as long as she could remember and was a “boring good girl”. She thought her story would never inspire people to Christ.
I told her that my husband had a story just like hers, accepted Christ at age 4, was a passionate lover of Christ for as long as he could remember, never broke the rules, always did what he was supposed to. And that lifelong dedication, that life long assurance of God’s love was what attracted me, a non-believer, to him. It’s eventually what brought me to the Lord.
I came to Christ at the “ripe old age” of 25. I DO have one of those “good stories” that churches bring out during altar calls, and strangely I have always been drawn to stories like my husbands, like yours, like that little girls. The incredible beauty of stories like those is the lifelong, unwavering passionate love. I am reminded by these stories of the Abba love the Lord has for us. He loves us and pours His grace over us through all the seasons of our lives if only we would let Him. To have that for as long as you could remember? shoot. You must feel capable of moving mountains! :)
Thanks for the lovely post…sorry about the novel length comment!
So dang encouraging. Not a novel at all… just right.
I am behind, but will have some good reading time this afternoon. Hopefully I can post next week!
I am getting an interesting perspective because my 13 year old is reading Graceful paralell to me.
What a cool perspective going on in your house, then!
Rachael, I think it’s so interesting that we talk about the difference between reputation and character. I think our desire to live “by the law” leads to a desire to be seen as living a pure life.
You know the song, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love”? I have to remind myself of that. It’s not the things we do, or the rules we follow, or any of that. It’s the LOVE we bring. I’ve got so much to learn. For all that I grew up in the church, I’m just a baby Christian but I think what finally broke me is that is 100% about love. Everything else falls into place after that.