Fit for the Race?: A New Resolution

Reflecting back on 2013, I have certainly learned alot. I have learnt that I easily look at faults in others yet do not wish to see them in myself. I also learnt that I am not everything I have thought I am. I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but one thing that I have always had in my life is music and/or sports. Grade 12, I played basketball and soccer, the next two years after graduation I was on a tour team learning the art of worship leading. After that, Soccer at PRBI as well as continued piano lessons. Moving to Bow Island, playing rec hockey and leading worship. Back to PRBI, Soccer again, and now I find myself, for the last 8 months or so, without sports or music. I can actually think of maybe 5 times in the last 8 months that a guitar has been in my hands or that I have kicked around a soccer ball.

Basically I have been without an identity for 8 months, and it is hard... Not because I am not playing sports or music, but because I have come to the inexcusable wall facing me stating "My Identity is not in Christ."

What does it mean to bear the name of Christ, to find myself in Him and Him in me? That when people see me, they do not see a soccer player, a teacher, a Canadian, a musician, they see Christ. And, if I am really honest with myself, I have not done a good job of that in 2013. It has been Blake first, Jesus second.

Now what does 2014 look like? Will Jesus be proclaimed throughout my whole being? When I go out on the street, will people recognize Christ in me? What does it mean to represent Jesus. If you have 8 or so minutes to spare, This video gives a glimpse of a different point of view of the Life we have in Jesus.

This past semester I talked with my Grade 12 class about what Evangelism is. Is it going up to people every day and blasting them with Jesus? Some people my think it is. Is it going into the secular world and being yourself, no scratch that, being humble enough to share Jesus, or even be Jesus as you go about your normal life. I really enjoyed the "Sons of Snakes" comment. Maybe, Christianity is not this simple little formula, but we have become so accustomed to the way things are, that we lose sight of what it really means to follow Jesus. Are we truly being Jesus to the world, ore are we being ourselves, making sure that Jesus shines through us (notice the underline) instead of simple leaving ourselves out of it and letting Jesus do the talking.

I know it is a different concept, but as I reflect on this new year, I realize that I was doing alot of the talking in my life, on Jesus' behalf of course, instead of letting Jesus be the shining light.

And to be honest with you, I don't know what that even looks like in my life. I don't actually know if things will change, I desire myself to become smaller as Christ becomes larger, but what does that look like? The only thing I can think of, is that it looks like anything but me, but only Jesus. I am very blessed to be given life, a beautiful son (who celebrated his 1st birthday this past week), a breathtaking daughter, wonderful parents who taught me about Jesus, faithful friends back in Canada, a truly awesome wife (inside and out), but most importantly (and i need to remember that this is the most important) is a Saviour, who came to earth, with the plan to die so I might have life in Him.