Cool Title. I'm Not Who I Was. Everytime I say or hear that phrase, I can't help but sing a little bit of Brandon Heath's "I'm Not Who I Was." http://www.brandonheath.net/media.php The opening line says "I wish you could see me now. I wish I could show you how, I'm not who I was."
I've been thinking a lot lately about how I have changed. And I don't even mean how I have changed because I am now a Christian and I didn't used to be one. I mean how I have changed since I became a Christian. All in me that has changed. All the things I have thought to be true because religious practice would tell me those things were true. All the things I have thought to be true because I let others tell me they were true instead of finding out for myself. I listened to answers instead of asking questions.
But I'm not who I was. I think my scabs have been pulled off (maybe are being pulled off) and I'm not who I was. And let me tell you, if you have ever had a scab pulled off, it hurts like hell. But I have experienced great change. I know this because I have reconnected with old friends and one of the first things they say to me is how much I have changed. I'm sure they are not talking about my weight gain or my hair color. At least I don't think so. I think they see that something is different. I hope they do.
I used to love Jesus and wish the world would love him too. Now, I love Jesus and I love the world, and I wish they loved him too. But I still love them, even if they decide not to love him. That is one of the biggest changes in me. Maybe the difference is not particularly distinct to you, but it is to me, and it has GREATLY shaped and changed how I respond to the world. The point is to love them. And in loving them, show them who Christ is and how I am different because of Christ's love. The point isn't in getting them to pray a prayer, though I am sure there are those who would argue differently. The point is in the loving them. At least, I think it is.
So I am different. And I am constantly changing . . . changing the way I act toward others, the way I speak, the way I live, the way I love.
All that to say, I'm not who I was.
I think you have exactly the right train of thought Carol Jones. That's what it's about. Love. It's good to know someone else knows what in the world is going on. At least some of the time. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYour servant for life,
Brittany
Let's not get confused Brittany. I would not say I know what is going on! That's a big leap! :) But I am sure trying to figure it out.
ReplyDeleteI read in this book I'm reading today that when Christians start worrying more about loving people and less about making converts out of them, more people will love Jesus. I read the same book two years ago and that statement made me mad. Now, it seems right.