I have not blogged in…well… over two months. There were a couple reasons for that, one being laziness and another being something I’ll have to share more about later, but lately this has become a God-given itch: the feeling that I have to write, I have to share, I have to use these talents he’s given me, because I just have to! So I thought I would just share on this article which caught my attention…

I find articles from Relevant are hit and miss. Sometimes they’re a little too focused on what’s wrong with “The Church,” or a bit too watered down in Western culture and yet with others they hit it pretty squarely, like this one.

I didn’t even know this was even a thing, but I see how it has become one: people using the motto, “Live Authentic” as a way of living life THEY want to – Christians particularly – without the discomfort of change. Using the tag, “Live Authentic” is fine and dandy, but when it’s an excuse not to change, to simply remain stagnant in who we are, to remain comfortably where we are, then we aren’t really “being;” we’re just “were-ing.” I’ve done enough of that stalling myself to be able to say: It doesn’t get you anywhere, except feeling quite unproductive and dissatisfied with yourself, ultimately.

Maybe that’s also partly due to the fact that I KNOW what I’m supposed to be doing, I KNOW what is true, and I KNOW what to do about it. Usually. But if I don’t, then I figure it out or talk to someone I trust who helps me spin my head back on straight, because I remember how to do that much. I’m not perfect! By any means, and that’s ok. I can live knowing that God views me as perfect, and always will.

So anyways. Back to not being stagnant in who we are:

I’m all for taking joy in being ourselves and who God has created us to be. It’s great and how God intends us to live, but there’s a healthy border and balance involved in that: is the way we’re “being ourselves,” reflecting Christ with us to others? Is it full of love?  “Being myself” by playing consistently Halo 5 for days would be great, let me tell you, but it sure isn’t something God has directed me to do to further his glory and his love, and it definitely won’t get me anywhere in terms of God’s plans for me (which isn’t to say I won’t play Halo and the like, because I DO! And I enjoy it!).

You can be sure that any directives or directions God has given us are for our own and/or other’s good, for our own satisfaction and well-being, and for His glory. Following them is much more than beneficial: it’s fulfilling. It’s more than “being,” it’s “becoming,” both who God has created us to be, is creating us to be, and says we are because that will never change. He loves us incredibly so we can trust that he has the best plans possible for us. It’s not easy, but that is the kind of person who we can freely and truly take joy in forever becoming.

For anyone wondering how to go about all this, I believe it’s as simple as this: Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Whenever I’m floundering about or wondering where to go, I come back to this. Honestly, persistently seeking God and his word first, then everything comes after. Easier said than done, of course, but true all the same. Out of that, becoming who God desires us to be will be filled with freedom and joy, but still uncomfortable at times. This is how I’ve become who I am.

And that’s a person who God has infused with a talent for writing and teaching (which He and I are constantly honing), a person who loves learning about the different personalities and gifts God has created people with, who also takes a kind of joy in totally dominating in a match of Halo, who thrives in talking to people one-on-one, who takes pleasure in shattering expectations and “norms,” like capped glass bottles against a wall, who derives much joy from being insanely silly and smiling with superb friends, who soaks up her time with family, whether it’s playing card games or having a solid chat at 2AM after seeing that movie in theatres we’ve been waiting to see, and who will forever run after her God as he holds out his hand, waiting, because it’s the best kind of love story.

That’s the kind of person I am, and by the time I’m done teaching in Korea, who knows what kind of person I’ll have become? Check back with future Adina, and she’ll share with you the adventures that God has taken her on, and what he’s done in her life….I kind of want to time travel right now…but then I would miss what’s going on in these ‘good old days’ so I s’pose it’s just as well mighty fine!