Letting My Light Shine...: Become Who You Are

Our theme for youth group really, but specifically for Maine this year was Becoming Who You Are. One of the things I feel like we discussed a number of times on the trip was that this is a process. I’m not going to wake up one day and be this super Christian, but it’s a process that day by day God is shaping me into the person He wants me to be. It’s really difficult at times though because the changes are often so gradual that you don’t see them.

Perfect example, I lost lots of weight but each day when I would look in the mirror I wouldn’t notice any sort of change. In my mind, I looked the same day after day. However, I was slowly changing. I would notice that clothes were becoming too big or I’d have to put a new hole in my belt so my pants would stay up.

The biggest way I would notice the change is looking at pictures. When people lose weight they often do before and after pictures.

When I started losing weight I one goal in mind: not having to take blood pressure medicine. Once I accomplished that goal there were others: being able to pull myself out of the Schuylkill at this one spot where we swim when canoeing, Wii Fit telling me I was “normal,” among other things.

Three years ago when we went to Maine, I was excited to hike the mountain, it’s a difficult climb and being about 35 pounds lighter then I was the last time I had done it, I thought it’d be a piece of cake. Boy was I wrong; I struggled to get up that thing yet again. I kept on stopping to take breaks, and each time I stopped I just got more and more frustrated with myself cause I thought it would have been easy with the weight I had lost. My new goal became being able to hike Blueberry Mountain without difficulty. I can’t tell you how excited I was to get up to Blueberry again this summer; I was so ready to hike the mountain. In the three years since last being up there, I’ve been eating healthy and exercising on an almost daily basis. As we were hiking, I was determined to get up the mountain quickly, show it who was boss. I was shocked when we got to the top of the first ridge and had only stopped maybe 2 or 3 times, and I wasn’t even tired. I can’t tell you how excited I was and how accomplished I felt when we got to the top of the mountain. Sitting at the top looking at the view, I just was so reminded of this process I’ve gone through over the past few years. If you look at a before and after picture of me over the past 3 or 4 years, sure you’ll notice a significant physical change. But there is so much more that doesn’t meet the eye. Spiritually God has changed me so much too. I could list numerous things God has taught me through this process, but one of the most important things is the importance of committing daily to your goal and taking the necessary steps towards it. Whether your goal is losing weight or becoming who you are.

Doing devos is one of the most basic things we should be doing as Christians. It’s like someone who’s trying to lose weight exercising. It’s a key component of your daily routine. Getting in the Word daily will cause you to change but it’s gradual; you may not notice the difference on a daily basis. It’s much tougher to take spiritual before and after pictures. We often just look at ourselves and see all the areas where we’re still “overweight” and don’t celebrate the changes we have made.