
photography: anika samantha headshots
One of my biggest passions is theatre. Ever since I was a kid the stage has been my second home. It’s a place where I can leave myself behind and let a new person begin. As my anxieties, stresses, and burdens fall to the floor, I am able to embrace a new being. When I let myself be completely consumed by a character, there is a comfort that produces an indescribable abundance of courage and fearlessness. I know at this point I’m sounding like a totally nerdy theatre kid (which I definitely am), but friends, I really think that this is how we should act in our faith.
Acts 17:28 sums this up pretty well. It states:
“For in Him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring’.”
A key part of this verse is that in Him we “have our being.” In other words, it is through Him that we live. This verse clearly tells us that we weren’t designed to be off on our own, we were designed to live as a part of Christ.
But sometimes we have really distant faith. It’s us in one corner and God way, far over in the other corner. Distance allows us to feel as if we can live life however we feel is best. Then, if we feel like it, we can call over to God and invite him to join in on the life you have crafted for yourself. This mobility gives us the idea that we are in control instead of God.
However, if we really, truly want to be the hands and feet of Jesus, we need to let Him consume every part of us. Meaning, we have to get out of that corner mentality.We can’t do life with Jesus only when it’s convenient for us; it’s a full-time gig. If you have accepted Jesus, I want to encourage you to give yourself fully to Christ. Just as an actor transforms into a character, find a new being in Him! Leave your anxieties, stresses, and burdens at the altar and choose to live a life in Him. Reflecting His goodness, graciousness, and patience in our thoughts, actions, and words.
1 Corinthians 6:19: “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own”.
John 14:20: “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you.”
God is calling upon us in this verse to lean into Him instead of ourselves because we are not our own. We are His. Because of the Holy Spirit, which the bible says lives inside us when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are physically and spiritually a part of God. We are His offspring. But, it’s our choice to act like it.
I hope we can have this prayer to guide us on our journey of finding intimacy with Christ:
Lord, I want to be fully consumed by you. I want the Holy Spirit to overflow out of me and into the hearts of others. I pray that others can see You through me. I don’t want to glorify myself in this life, I want to glorify You in everything that I do! God, You want me to be a part of You, and I want to be a part of You too. I won’t be perfect Lord, but I know Your grace is sufficient for me, and You just want me, brokenness and all. I love You. Amen.”
Let’s be fully His, resting in His embrace, resembling the image of Christ in all that we are, for we are His hands and His feet.
| denim: madewell | shirt: old navy | bible: she reads truth |
I love this!
Beautifully expressed