This is Who I Am

I have a dear friend who is a clown, seriously he is a clown! He went to clown college and graduated! What a proud day that was :)   No really. I'm serious. It was hard work but my friend was up for the task. He loves to make others smile. Every Monday my friend goes to the Children's Hospital in Birmingham to help give the kids and families something to smile about. What does he get in return?  Smiles. I'm very proud to call this clown, my friend.


We were both teaching at a Shocco conference one weekend and a conversation started up about facebook. He told me I needed to lighten up; all my posts were too churchy. To be honest I was offended by the comment but I laughed it off because I knew he did not mean to offend.  That was a couple of years ago and I can still  hear him say those words in my head.  I thought to myself, maybe he is right, I am to churchy and I need to lighten up. So I asked, "God is that true? Do I need to lighten up? Are my posts too churchy?" 


When we talk to God, He listens and He answers.                             He doesn't always answer immediately - but when I finally was quiet enough to hear His answer it was: "Just be you!"


God created me as a very passionate person. Through the years many of the "passions" in my life have come and gone. But once I truly began to understand God's grace and His unconditional love for me, HE became my passion. The passion I have for Him will not come and go, but it will be with me for eternity!  


Back to my "clown" friend's comment, I believe all of the "social media" sites are a reflection of who we really are. You may or may not agree - but I believe our posts do say something about who we are, what we like and what grabs our attention. In many ways it reveals what we worship.


That leads me to my devotion from yesterday and my scripture reading from today... yep, here I go again - getting all "churchy" on you :) 

My devotion yesterday was about image verses character... and today I read this passage. (I like to read in several different translations)

Then he said to them, "You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God. Luke 16:15                     (New Living Translation)

So Jesus spoke to them: "You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others, but God knows what's behind the appearance. What society sees and calls monumental, God sees through and calls monstrous. Luke 16:15 (The Message)

Jesus said to them, "You try to make yourselves look good in the eyes of other people. But God knows your hearts. What is worth a great deal among people is hated by God. Luke 16:15 (The New International Readers Version)

Two different days, two different readings - yet they brought me to the same place...

Image is "appearing righteous in public". 

Character is what God sees in your heart.

If we know this, then why do we go around justifying our actions and trying to impress other people? Our "social media" sites reflect the image we are presenting, but what about our character? Which one are we, the person we display on our social media pages, or the person who sits in church on Sunday? Are they one in the same? Does your image reflect your heart? Are we using our facebook and twitter to enlarge our Self-Image, or to enlarge Jesus Christ?

So, as for my friend (whom I dearly love & who is a very passionate children's pastor), I won't apologize for what you see on my facebook and twitter pages, they are a reflection of who I am and what I'm passionate about; my husband, my kids and my God.

So, some may think my posts are "churchy", and I guess that's OK. But as for me, my post are something more - they are a reflection  who I am... A child of God! He is the One I worship and my  relationship with Him is my passion!