I worked at a summer camp in the North Carolina mountains for the past two summers. The first summer I was new, and as a Florida girl, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Although I knew little to nothing going into it, it was the best summer I have ever had. I learned quite a few things that first summer. I learned what a carabiner was (you know, that clippy thing that climbers use), an endless amount of riddles, what chacos are, and how to make your cabin full of middle school girls finally go to sleep. But when I look back on those long hours, those hot days, and those loud meal times, there is one lesson that stands out and has stuck with me more than anything.
I Die Daily Now, those words are not something that you usually see cross stitched on a pillowcase or framed on a wall. When I first heard these words, I didn’t quite know what they meant, but it sounded spiritual. Over the past year, though, I’ve come to learn what these words mean. I used to wake up, and remind myself of these words every day. I Die Daily. Not physically of course, but spiritually. I’ll admit, I am a naturally insecure person. I’m constantly wanting to compare myself to others to see if I’m measuring up, and I will always find a reason that I don’t. I’ll focus so much on my short comings that I allow it to steal my joy. I start believing that I am not “good enough”, and I forget who I really am. I have met too many girls who share this story. The enemy seeks to attack and destroy us, and one way he does that is by feeding us lies that we choose to believe. However, my friends, we serve a God who does not allow this to be the end of our story. He wants to restore us and use us, and we cannot do that if we are defeated by the lies of the enemy. So every day, I reminded myself that I die daily. And I challenge you to do the same. Do you want to know what that means? It means to die to ourselves, to our insecurities, to all of the lies that surround us. We have to die to ourselves so we can be alive and strong in Christ. Only then can we stop comparing and start loving. Only then can we find true joy, fulfillment, and contentment. I want to leave you with some encouragement. These verses pretty much sum up the hope that we have in becoming alive in Christ. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7) So ladies, let’s together die to ourselves to be alive in Christ. Written by: Amanda Fowler
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