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| Clouds building across Lake Diefenbaker. |
I have no problem identifying myself as a writer. I
completed Nanowrimo three times over in one year. I’m not claiming to be a good
writer—just a prolific one and for that reason alone, I have no doubts about
the writer side of the equation.
Christian is a much more daunting identification. in Acts
11:26, we are told the word Christian is first used in Antioch. For years, I’ve thought about it as simply
a follower of Christ or a believer but this name says much more.
Galatians come from Galatia,
Ephesians come from Ephesus.
I haven’t gone back to the Greek on this one but in English, it’s hard to miss Christian
follows the same form. Just as Galatia
was the hometown of Galatians, the early Christians appeared to those around
them as coming from Christ. What about the early followers of Christ inspired
those around them to see them as having Christ as a homeland? Kind of goes
against the Oliver Wendall Jones saying, “Some people are too heavenly minded
to be any earthly good.”
I love Jesus—no doubt about that but do the people around me
see me as a Christian? Or am I just a church attendee and in the world’s eyes
that makes me a person who follows a restrictive lifestyle dictated by a God
they don’t understand?
It’s a struggle that I think I’ll continue to fight, doing
my best to live a life worthy of being identified as a Christian. I think my writing will reflect my heart, just like the
overflow from my mouth as mentioned in Luke 6:45. I pray that overflow shows my love for Jesus in every word.
Thanks for this lovely post
ReplyDeleteI couldn't remember if I already posted this before or if this was the post I lost a while back. Glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteA worthy battle to continue to struggle with. May God's light shine through our writing (no matter what kind) and our lives.
ReplyDeleteAmen.
DeleteThanks Marnie.
I agree with Marnie. The struggle is definitely worth the fight. And congratulations on completing Nano three times!
ReplyDeleteThank you Lynn.
DeleteYes it's worth the rewards. I don't know why but lately, I've been hearing this message a lot--remember who Jesus is and what He's done for you.
Good for you, Tammy, on being so faithful with your writing. Your three Nanowrimos in one year is astounding. As for your striving to be Christ-like, that is what we want to be doing. Thanks for this reminder.
ReplyDeleteWe've probably all her the saying, "Your actions speak so loud I can't hear what you are saying." When we are striving to live a Christ-like life, that hopefully wouldn't be what others say of us, especially if we are grounded in scripture and have a regular devotional or prayer life. None of us is perfect, but we are asked to "run the race," and we want to run the whole marathon. May the Holy Spirit help us daily to run that race.
Another quote I love is one attributed to St. Francis, but history has proven this wrong. Instead we will have to thank Anonymous for, "Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words."
I love that saying, Sharon. Thank you so much for the encouragement.
DeleteBeautiful. Thank you for sharing this image of Christ as homeland. The concept of coming home, or being at home in any circumstance has just blossomed into something newer, and bigger than I had ever imagined previously. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you were blessed.
ReplyDeleteYour last line--a prayer we all should pray. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGod bless, Connie.
ReplyDelete