Confessions of a Christian Writer
It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own.
Our qualification comes from God. (2 Corinthians 3:5).
I don’t always get the same reaction when people learn that I’m a Christian blogger and writer. Some people assume that I’m some kind of Jesus freak that can’t talk about anything other than God and, or I’m on a mission to be as perfect as possible. Well, both assumptions are wrong. Yes, I have a heart after God, but I can assure you that I am nothing without Him and I definitely don’t have all the answers to life’s problems. Moreover, my love for God is deeply rooted in the fact that He knows every single thing about me, yet He loves me! My desire to write about my relationship with God, my struggles, my highs, and my lows, is not a hobby, but my purpose. I understand that no amount of education or views on this blog qualify me to do anything in this world. Rather, I am only qualified through Jesus Christ.
Make Jesus Famous. Each time I write a blog post, my hope is that God would be glorified, not me. I’m not on a mission to be famous but I understand that praying that God enlarge my territory to encourage as many people as possible, cannot be achieved unless I put myself out there and connect with people. Coming from someone who can still be extremely shy, this is hard for me. Every single time I hit “publish” on a blog post I get nervous even till this day. I wonder if this is something that will ever go away because for most of my life I always hid in the back of the room in hopes that no one would see me or hear me. In this season of my life, I’ve got to boldly and unapologetically do all that God calls me to do, because again, this isn’t about me.
Love. I’ve been called judgmental a time or two in my lifetime, and while I can make the argument that this conclusion was made based on emotion and misinterpretation, it is something I always try to be mindful of. Experience has taught me that there is a right and a wrong way to approach people. Period. My assignment is not to condemn but to encourage. As such, it is my prayer that anyone who visits this blog or reads my book, would walk away knowing that God loves them. I want people to understand that no mistake could ever make God turn His back on us. Simply, I’m just here to remind people that God’s love is a different kind of love, and rather than run from it, we ought to run towards it. That’s my only goal.
The Balance. It’s hard sometimes finding a balance between honoring God in my daily decisions and not being the girl who can’t do this and that. I’m grateful for the people in my life who understand that my relationship with God is important to me but again, my goal is not to be “better” than anyone. In this world we live in, being a Christian is not easy and standing firm in what we believe in will sometimes cause us to lose friends and not be in the “in crowd.” It’s not always comfortable, but then again, nothing God requires of us comes without sacrifice.
I’m in a place where I don’t want to compromise my faith to fit in and I won’t. Life is all about decisions, and sometimes walking a path of righteousness means we have to do the unpopular thing. If you’re constantly in a place where you feel like you have to choose between friendships and your relationship with God, start praying about the relationships you have with people. Remember, quality over quantity.
Wait for it. There are some people out there just waiting for me to mess up and who will not hesitate to point out if I do something wrong. If YOU are waiting on me to make the wrong move, let me assure you that I make mistakes every single day because I am human. More of Him and less of me is a daily struggle and the closer I get to Him, the more tests I seem to endure. If I told you that I passed every single test that life throws at me, I’d be lying. My love for God does not instantly take away those desires I have that are contrary to His word, but I am learning to depend on Him to overcome those strongholds. I’m learning to let Him lead me through life and I want to encourage you to do the same.
So what does all this mean? The truth is that we all have a story to tell. There is no human being on this earth who hasn’t faced something in his or her life, so know that you aren’t alone. No amount of education, social media followers, or social status will ever qualify us to walk in our purpose. It is only through God’s love, grace, mercy, and power that we are able to rise above our circumstances and our poor decisions. I strongly believe that if we are mindful of our approach and operate in love, there’s a less likely chance that our message will be taken the wrong way. Don’t be afraid to rise up and do the things God has called you to do because you feel like you aren’t qualified to do so. You are qualified through Jesus Christ and don’t let anyone tell you differently. Purpose is not connected to perfection my friend. It has and never will be.
K R Y S T L E
