Lower Case i

i started school last Thursday. My classes are
PAF311: Leadership and Change
ENG311: Persuasive Writing
CRJ302: Research Methods
CRJ308: Advanced Criminological Theory
CRJ305: Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice


i'm super excited about all of them. Mostly, cause i like learning. i'm not a genius or anything extraordinary when it comes to school, but i truly enjoy it. i work hard.

Anyways, i started reading my leadership book and within the first chapter it spoke about authenticity. It talks about how crucial it is to be authentic to be a good leader. i was truly shocked when i read that because a lot of times authenticity isn't referred to in secular society. Of course, we as Christians talk about it, but it's a "Christiany" word. Unfortunately, it is not even talked about that much in our Christian society.
But a SECULAR COLLEGE TEXTBOOK just told me how important it is to be authentic and genuine.


One of my projects a couple years ago was to read the gospels. i thought it would really interesting to read the different perspectives of Jesus' life. So i did.


What struck me the most was how Jesus lived. He was funny, and sarcastic. He loved and cherished. But what stood out to me the most was that he was authentic and real. It never talks about how he was so different in private and then put on a face for the rest of the world.
The way that we live is a reflection of Christ. If you recorded the way that most people in the world live nowadays, it would go something like this...


"Susie spoke so many encouraging words to people. She talked about her future plans with confidence and boldness. She understood what it meant to serve people. But when Susie went home, she spoke to her siblings with contempt because she was the favorite. She got away with beating up with her little sisters if they looked at her the wrong way. She didn't read her Bible or pray. She was seclusive and rude."

That is just an example. That is also how most people have chosen to live. And it's exhausting. i know, i've been there. Not to such an extreme, but usually it's not that extreme. Sometimes it's the small things that we choose to ignore. Are you being like Susie?


Friends, God has given us such an opportunity to live our lives for him. i have chosen to live the same way in private and public. It's not sugar coated, it is real. i'm loud and easily excited. i'm encouraging and sarcastic. i love seeing the little joys in life. But i need sleep, and if i don't have it, i'm quieter. i love talking about deep things. i love hearing about people's stories. And i'm human. The one biggest joy in my life is my Savior. Because it's not about me. It's about Christ.


He lived his life so that we could live ours for him. If you are living a life like Susie, i want to encourage you to stop. Because our lives are not about us, they are about Christ. He didn't give us life to talk about ourselves as the capital i. He wants us to live as the lower case i. Christ calls us to sacrifice who we are and live for him. That's why all of the i's in this post have been lower case. It's not about me. It's about him. It's about giving the glory to God. Nothing is more rewarding then living life for the Creator of the Universe.