Identity

Not Ashamed

Hi, my name is Jaime and I love Jesus.

There have been times I’ve wanted to introduce myself this way, just to get it out of the way. My anxiety and people-pleasing tendencies come up when I talk about my faith with unbelievers.

I want people to like me for who I am, regardless of my beliefs. I don’t want to be lumped into a category of people that have misrepresented his name. Besides that, once you mention the name of Jesus an automatic line is drawn in the sand.

I’m placing the fear of opinions above my faith

This is not in alignment with who I claim to be.

No one likes to be judged. We all want to be seen and accepted for who we are as people, not by our choices or preferences. But the truth is we’ve all judged and been judged in one way or another.

Then there’s Jesus. The one who sees all my faults and mistakes. He knows my history of disdain towards him, yet he dies for me. I spit on him, brutally attack him and mock him, yet he dies for me.

How can I be ashamed of the one who gave his life for me, for the one who solidified my own personal “I am.”

I am making a decision;

I will not be ashamed

I can’t talk the talk and not walk it. I need to walk it. I WANT to.

I need to make sure that I’m keeping it real, which for me means not shying away from speaking about the one who saved me from myself. With that being said, I’m not trying to convert you (well maybe a little) when I talk about him. He is just so much a part of my life, I can’t NOT talk about him. It wouldn’t be authentic.

Now that I have made this choice, it seems appropriate to give him a proper shout out:

Give me a J….

Give me an E…

Give me an S…

Give me a U…

Give me an S…

What’s that spell?

JESUS!!! hoots and haws in the background.

What fears stand in the way of your truth?

Attitude

Recycled

There is lots of waste in the world. Thankfully, recycling has helped with the process of converting waste into reusable material.

This got me thinking about times in my life that I perceived as wasteful. Poor decisions, hard lessons, times of suffering, and despair. I’d often find myself in the role of victim: “why me, why this?”

What was the point of it all?

What if all we’ve been through wasn’t pointless but for a greater purpose?

This has helped me to view my experiences differently.

Would I repeat some of the things I’ve done in my life? Nope, BUT I wouldn’t take them back either. I’ve seen God recycle the messes I’ve made into reusable goods.

Instead of kicking my crap to the curb and burning it, I’ve decided to put mine in storage, saving it for opportunities to support, love and walk alongside others in need.

Together We Can

Benefits of recycling:

Less pollution: healthier relationships, community.

Saves energy: resentments burn our time and energy. Forgiveness and kindness refuel.

Conserves valuable resources: We are God’s most valuable resource. Let’s support each other so we can be the people He created us to be.

What experiences in your life can be used to help someone else?