If I were to brand myself, what label would I choose? What would I emphasize? What would I shroud from the world? My life is not always an open book, but neither is it a lock box. I do not hide who I am, but I do not always know precisely who I am. The identity I am comfortable with is a "sinner saved by grace". Though that label is vague, it encompasses all of me. When I try, I fail. That is not to say that my efforts are fruitless or that my opportunities are wasted. I grow. I learn. What do I learn? I learn that all I do, even the good things, need to be covered by the blood of Jesus. Sometimes I excel academically or in a game or at a job, but no matter how much I succeed, there is more to be done. I take comfort in that because it means that no matter how far I fall, grace still holds me firm.
Brand myself? This exercise requires a level of self esteem I'm not sure I possess. I don't want to promote me because I am not worth promoting. The Spirit within me is the only thing I can claim as good. The grace I have been washed in is the only thing by which I can boast. I work hard, but not hard enough. I love strongly, but I don't love enough. I've been given a mind that can solve problems, but I don't solve them well enough. I've been given creativity, but often I allow it to lay dormant.
Brand myself? I am a shining examples of mistakes not to make and impulses not to follow. I am a monument to squandered potential. My life has been a roller coaster, and many times I have chiseled the tracks, only to find myself not derailed because of the power of God. I have a passion to expand God's kingdom, but I don't do enough. I demonstrate to the world on a regular basis how a Christian should not behave. the positive side of my shortcomings is that I have no room to judge the shortcomings of others. I can empathize with fellow sinners and I do have a hope to give them, but that hope has nothing to do with me. The only way. The only truth. The only life is in Jesus Christ who displayed the awesome power of God through weakness and allows himself to be strong even when we are weakest.
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Don't get too locked into this idea of branding -- it's what ideal do you represent to the world around you. It's not labeling, it's what do I want to show, or inspire, in those around me. Now, having said that, you are WAY too young to "brand" yourself as wasted potential. Ok, nothing good can come from us because everything we are and everything we do is tainted by sin and fallen-ness; BUT, through Christ's atoning work you are forgiven and through his power and the work of the Holy Spirit you can do your part in the restorative work Christ has set out for us. You aren't promoting yourself; you're promoting the power of Christ's atoning work and his power to take wasted sinners and make something good happen through him. KWIM?
ReplyDeleteHey there. You became a followed of one of my blogs and I don't think I know you?
ReplyDeleteOh, just checking. Read away. And since you are actually reading, I'm not really that big of a dick, sometimes my writing just concentrates that.
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