I am His

I was flipping through my bible the other day in the car and my eyes fell upon this passage:

“Since you died with Christ and were made free from the ruling spirits of the world, why do you act as if you still belong to this world…” – Colossians 2:20

Wow. Maybe it didn’t have the same affect on you, but with me – well, I came to the realization that even though I belong to Christ, most of the time I act like I don’t. I act like I belong to the world – the people who define today’s world – the same people who lay out “rules” for society, like the totally untrue belief that Christians are uncool, modesty is a thing of the past, and if you’re five pounds heavier than Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, you’re fat.

Another verse tells us not to conform to this world. Basically, that means don’t believe the examples I gave above. Don’t do what the media tells us to do. If they say, “If your legs don’t look like pencils, then you should go on a diet”, don’t believe them. They are not God – they didn’t create you or save you, and they sure aren’t perfect.

So go ahead. Grab your bible and open it up to Colossians 3:1. (BTW, I’m quoting from the New Century version, which has the vocabulary of a third grader, but oh well.)

“Since you were raised from the dead with Christ, aim at what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Think only about the things in heaven, not the things on earth.” – Colossians 3:1-2

That doesn’t mean you’re not supposed to think about your upcoming math test or your friends. This verse is saying that we shouldn’t base our thinking on what people tell us – we should listen to God, because he’s always right. I know, I know – that’s hard. The world affects my lifestyle and how I think of myself. “Oh, so I can’t wear this anymore? Maybe I am just a bit heavy…dude, look at those teeth! I wish I had teeth like hers.” Instead, I need to think about what God knows. “Well…I guess I can still wear this outfit – it’s nice, anyway. I think I could be described as ‘healthy’ instead of ‘fat’. My teeth are ok, I guess. God gave them to me, right? Besides, they’re not yellow or anything.” See how much better that was?

When we think what God is thinking, our whole self-image changes. And you might not be able to tell, but other people notice that change. People say, “Oh, she’s got self-confidence.” There’s no such thing. It’s really God-confidence. He’s the one who gives it to us. When you have God-confidence, you walk differently, talk differently, see the world differently, act differently, and look different – and God-confidence is way better than insecurity and the media!

So, I’m going to start trying to not just be “acting”. I’m not going to put on a show. I’m going to let people see the truth: God made me awesome. And I am his.