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, Identity, LGBTQ

I See You

Dear Fellow Females,

I don’t know you, but I love you.

How can I love you if I haven’t met you? Easy, because God loves me. He loves me in spite of everything I’ve done (and girl, I’ve done a lot).

Now that I know this love it’s my responsibility to love you. Not in a conditional way, but all of you. This doesn’t mean that I will affirm everything you do, but it does mean that I see you and accept you as a person.

If anyone has ever made you feel less than, I’m sorry.

If anyone has ever labeled you, I’m sorry.

If anyone has ever spit harmful words at you, I’m sorry.

Please hear me when I say: YOU are God’s Masterpiece (microphone drop).

You are beautiful, one of a kind, amazing, loved, cared about, special, worth dying for.

I’ve felt less than. I’ve been labeled. Harmful words have penetrated my soul. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. So I’m reaching out… to you.

I don’t know your story, but if you’d like to share it with me, I’m here.