Catch-Up

Hey gang! I know I've been MIA on the blog for a little bit, but I've definitely been keeping up diligently on the devotions, and would just like to reference a few that really stuck out to me and felt like they were written specifically for me:

May 2nd, 1 Peter 5:5: This passage and attached devotion talked about the clothes of Christ, and the rags that we opt for over the "full armor of God." Clothes, and appearance in general, are something that occupy so much of my head space each and every day, so this devotion really felt like it had my name on it. I too often wear the clothes that I choose to wear and look the way I look because of what I want other people to think of me; I equate my appearance with my value in other people. This is almost completely backwards of what the devotion was getting at: "Adorn ourselves modestly...may adornments of humility, sacrifice, and loyalty cloak our being." I think that this was a fresh new way to think about what qualities of myself and of Christ within me I'm neglecting to show others, because I'm so caught up in my outward appearance. It's easy to give up love, kindness, respect, and, most of all, humility, when I build walls between myself and others with the influence I want my appearance to have on them.

May 7th, I Corinthians 10:16-17: "In order to reveal the heart of Christ, somebody needs to bleed." A bold statement, I thought, on initial reading, yet it grew truer and truer the more I thought about it. In my interactions with my friends, I catch myself constantly holding grudges, being stubborn, and refusing to let myself get hurt or take blame. I am leading myself with my own, blind, twisted sense of righteousness and morality, and fail to lead others in the love and passion of Christ. After reading, I recommitted to bringing humility to the forefront of my relationships with family, friends and strangers.

This one goes hand in hand with the May 15th devotion, which speaks to the limiting effect on love that ego and shameless thought have. "To effectively lead is to draw out the creative capacity of those whom you serve." To appropriately accomplish this, I must put Christ's will above all in my relationships; I must focus on giving those I am trying to lead the space, love, and care that they have been given by Christ that lets them flourish, rather than stifle their humanity for the sake of my own respect and self image.